Little Miss Brand New Start
by Hermies818
Summary: After just barely surviving a life altering plane crash, Lexie Grey feels like she needs a change of scenery for a while. How does Mark deal with her decision and what life experiences are to be found on the road to being healed? Grey's Anatomy and all its characters belong to Shonda Rhimes.
1. Chapter 1

**This was originally going to be a chapter in my other story ****_Good Morning Husband, Good Morning Wife_**** but it sort of took on a life of its own as I was writing it so now it's become it's own story. I know I'm a little late to the party when it comes to rewriting the Season 8/Season 9 finale and opening but I don't care. This is basically my take on how I think Shonda could have ended it without killing Mark and Lexie. Title is from the Sugarland song "Little Miss".**

* * *

They should have died, they should have died out there in the woods, all of them. Lexie, Mark, Meredith, Derek, Arizona, and Cristina, they shouldn't be alive today. She had been trapped under the plane, the plane had literally fallen on top of her, and Mark had had a freaking cardiac tamponade that had to be treated with a butter knife and a can of spray deodorant. The odds were a million to one that they would have all survived, but the funny thing about a million to one odds is that for every million failures there is one success.

It had hurt, no doubt. Lexie had been badly hurt but it was nowhere near as bad as it could have been. If the plane had landed on her an inch to the left or right she would have most certainly died. It was this thought that stayed with Lexie as she sat in the large claw foot tub at Meredith's. It had been over three months since the crash and only a week since she had been discharged from the hospital. Her muscles still ached sometimes but the tub was helping.

What was harder to deal with was the emotional backlash. Lexie knew all about mental breakdowns, having been the unfortunate victim of one after the shooting, but she didn't think that was the problem this time.

Survivor's guilt perhaps? But none of them had died, not her, not Mark, not even the pilot, even though he was paralyzed from the neck down. Maybe that was it. The fact that she should be dead and yet she was going to make a full recovery. She had been crushed under a freaking plane in the middle of the woods and yet would have no lasting physical damage, unlike the pilot or Dr Robbins who lost a leg or Derek who might never operate again.

She groaned, partly from pain and partly from frustration. She just wanted to find her way back to the person she was before the crash happened. No, not totally, she wanted to be the person she was before the plane crash but she wanted Mark to be there too. He hadn't left her side the entire time they'd been out there, not after he'd said those things. Then at the hospital he kept sneaking out of his room to lay with her in her bed. He loved her and she loved him and this time it would have to take an act of god to tear them apart. Everything should be perfect, but then why couldn't she fix whatever felt was wrong with her?

A pounding on the door broke her revere.

"Lex come on." Meredith's voice rang out. "Leaving in 10 minutes."

With a sigh Lexie hoisted herself out of the tub and grabbed a towel. First day back at work, first day under a microscope. She hoped that maybe she'd be able to shake this feeling by working it out of her system.

* * *

"Welcome back Dr Grey." Bailey nodded as walked towards the young woman at the nurse's station.

"Good to be back Dr Bailey." Lexie winced slightly as she moved her head to fast.

"You ok Grey?" Bailey asked with her typical uncaring concern.

"Yeah Dr Bailey, I'm fine. Just still a little sore is all." Lexie rubbed the back of her neck.

Suddenly she felt a foreign hand on her neck. With a little yip she spun around to see her boyfriend standing there with a trademark Sloan smirk on his face.

"Morning."

"Morning." She blushed slightly.

"You know, if you have some tension in your neck I know of an excellent tension relief method." He whispered seductively in her ear, making her giggle.

"Ahem!" Bailey cleared her throat, drawing the attention of both doctors. "If the two of you are going to talk dirty go do it somewhere else. I do not need to be privy to such activities between the two of you." She shot them a look before walking off. Lexie turned back to Mark.

"So how'd it feel sleeping in your own bed last night?" She asked. Although he had been discharged weeks before she was, he had been stubborn about staying in her room every night until she was released and had been sleeping in the attic with her every night until last when Lexie insisted he take a break and sleep in his own bed.

"Lonely. It felt incredibly lonely without you sleeping next to me." He took her hand. "Look, Lex, I know it may be too soon, but you think you could consider moving back in with me?"

"Mark...I..." Lexie stumbled, not really sure what to say. Thankfully Mark said it for her.

"You don't have to decide right now, or really even today. Just promise me you'll think about it?"

"Yeah, yeah I can do that." Lexie said breathlessly.

"Good." Marks paged beeped. "Gotta go, I'll see you later." He kissed her and then he was gone.

Lexie groaned. Her life was complicated enough before today and now Mark, dear, sweet, and apparently clueless Mark, had just made it so much more complicated.

With a sigh she took out her cell phone. She needed someone to talk too who wasn't part of the hospital gossip ring.

* * *

The phone rang and rang.

"Come on, pick up. Please pick up." Lexie pleaded into the phone.

Finally on the third ring she heard the phone click.

"Hello?"

"Hey Apes."

"Lexie!" April squealed. "How are you feeling?"

"Good, bad, I don't know April." Lexie groaned. "I don't know what I'm feeling."

"Ok, calm down. Are you pregnant?"

"What? No, no, god no. Mark and I haven't had sex since before the plane crash."

"You've had Mark Sloan, man whore of Seattle Grace, go without sex for three months?" April laughed. "Has that ever happened before?"

Lexie giggled and then sighed. "He asked me to move back in with him."

"So, that's good isn't it?" April questioned.

"Ugh, I don't know Apes. I love him, I love him so much but I'm not the same. I should have died April, I should have died and I didn't and I'm back to normal while Dr Robbins lost a leg and Derek crushed his hand, and I should have died!"

She took a deep breath. "I just want to feel normal again, not just look normal. I don't know what to do."

April's heart broke for her friend. She wished she was back in Seattle so she could be there for her, but currently she was stuck in Moline.

"I don't know how to help you Lex. I want to, but I don't know what I should say."

"I know, I'm sorry. I shouldn't have thrown this on you."

"Hey, I'm always happy to help, that's what friends are for." April stopped her. "You call me anytime."

Lexie smiled. "Thanks April, I just needed to talk to someone."

"Well you will always have me, got that?"

Lexie heard April grunt. "What are you doing?" She asked.

"Farm work. Turns out it's a lot harder than I remembered." April panted. "When did bales of hay get so heavy?"

Lexie chuckled. "Probably about the same time you enrolled in med school. Come on April, you can handle a chaotic ER full of trauma patients no problem. What's a little farm work?"

"Oh yeah? I wanna see you come out here and try this!" April huffed.

"Maybe I should." Lexie laughed, then something clicked in her head. Why not? Why not go out and try it?

"Hey Apes, I gotta go. I'll call you later."

"Wait, what are you gonna do? Lexie? Lexie?"

Lexie snapped her phone shut and made a bee line for Owen's office.

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	2. Chapter 2

"You want to do what?" Owen asked.

"I don't _want _to do anything Chief Hunt. But I need to do this."

Owen looked at her, slightly confused but also understanding somewhat. "Ok, so you want to take some time off. How long were you thinking?"

Lexie took a deep breath. "I was thinking a year."

"A year?" Now Owen's face was just shock, pure and simple. "What are you going to do with a year off?"

"I'm going to leave." She said firmly. "Seattle is my home, but I need to leave for a while. Go see April in Moline, maybe visit Jackson in New Orleans, go see my grandparents in Boston. I just need to go."

Owen was quiet for a moment, lost in thought. Even if she didn't, he knew what she was feeling. He'd felt it himself after coming back from Iraq.

"Ok." He nodded after a while.

"Really?" Lexie was surprised, she was almost certain he'd say no.

"Yes, you need some time off and while I didn't expect something this drastic, I agree it is what you need."

A huge grin broke out over Lexie's face. "Thank you Chief Hunt." She gushed as she turned toward the door.

"Hey Grey." Owen called out, stopping her before she left.

"Yeah?"

Owen smiled. "Good luck out there."

* * *

"What's this I heard about Little Grey leaving?" Callie asked as she sat down at a table with Meredith, Alex, and Arizona.

"Lexie's leaving?" Arizona asked, quite clearly shocked. "Did you know anything about this?"

"Hey don't look at me!" Alex grumbled. "We're not dating, what she does is none of my business."

"She didn't say anything this morning." Meredith mused.

"It's probably just hospital gossip then." Callie said, looking for a way to change the subject. "How's Cristina liking Minnesota?"

"Oh she hates it." Meredith grinned. "She's had to dig her car out of snowdrifts higher than her twice already this week."

"First Cristina and now Lexie's leaving too." Arizona commented.

"Lexie is not leaving!" Meredith said just a bit too forcefully. "It's just stupid hospital gossip!"

"What's just stupid hospital gossip?" Mark asked as he sat down.

"That Lexie is leaving." Alex said through bites of food.

"No she's not." Meredith swatted him. "She didn't say anything this morning, she's not going anywhere."

"I don't know." Callie sounded suspicious. "The nurses were whispering about how she was seen leaving Owen's office."

"So?" Mark asked, trying to keep the alarm off his face. "He's probably just welcoming her back."

"And she erased her name off the surgical board." Arizona interjected.

"Ok, that's not normal." Meredith looked at Mark. What the hell was going on?

Mark stood up, worry written on his face. "I need to go find her."

* * *

"Lexie!" His voice boomed.

She winced slightly, wondering for a moment how he found out. She took a deep breath before turning to find him jogging down the hallway towards her.

"Hey." He panted slightly. "What's this rumor about you leaving?"

"It's not a rumor." She swallowed. "I'm taking a year off to figure out what's wrong."

"What do you mean figure out what's wrong Lex?"

She sighed and quickly pulled him into the nearest on call room. This was one conversation that did not need to be overheard by anyone else.

"Lex?" His eyes clouded. "What's wrong? Talk to me."

"I don't know Mark!" She spat, shocked by the venom in her voice. "I don't know what's wrong with me. I know I should be happy. I know I should be happy that I'm alive and that we're alive and that we're finally in a good place but I'm not, Mark. And I don't know why I'm not happy. I thought it might be survivor's guilt but it's more than that. That crash made me realize there's so much more out there that I want to see and I might not even know I want to see it yet. I always thought that I'd have time to see it all but what if I don't? What if I was supposed to die but I didn't and now I'm on a ticking clock. I need to go Mark and just keep going till I find what I'm looking for." She ranted, tears pricking her eyes.

"What about me Lex? Why are you walking out on me again?" He pleaded.

Lexie bit back the cry in her throat. "I don't want to walk out on you Mark. I love you more than I can say in words."

She kissed him sadly.

"Someday we'll get married and we'll have those three kids and Sophia will have a really big family, but it's not fair to you if I'm not able to give it my all."

Mark wrapped his arms around her, a crushing feeling overwhelming him.

"Please don't go." The desperation evident in his voice.

"I'm sorry Mark." She looked up at him. "But I have too."

She put her head on his shoulder and breathed in the smell of him. The smell of waking up in his arms, the smell of laughing at stupid jokes that no one else got, the smell of talking late into the night about everything and nothing, the smell of him. She took a deep breath and slipped out of his arms.

* * *

He didn't open his eyes for a long time after he heard the door close, trying in vain to preserve the memory of her. How could she do this to him after everything that had happened? How could she just give up?

He tried to be angry but he realized that he couldn't do it. As much as he didn't want to, he knew damn well why she needed this so badly. If he was being honest the idea had merit. Life had come down hard on them, on all of them, and out of all of them Lexie was the one who it had, quite literally, hurt the most. The ability of hers to feel so much deeper and love so much harder than everyone else was one of the countless things that made him love her.

He stood there for what felt like years, turning things over in his mind. His mouth was set in a grim line as he weighed the pros and cons of what he was about to do. There were a lot of cons, but there was also one big pro that made it all worthwhile.

"Well hell." He grunted to himself as he exited the on call room and started walking, looking for a man to talk too about time.

* * *

Meredith was waiting for Lexie when she got home.

"Hey." She called from the kitchen.

"Hey." Lexie entered tentatively, she had managed to avoid talking to most people after her confrontation with Mark but she knew that this was coming.

"Pull up a seat." Meredith gestured to a bar stool as she got up to fetch a bottle of wine and two glasses. "Start talking."

Lexie gratefully took the glass and in one fluid motion drank about half of it.

"Before I say anything," She started. "I don't want to hear anything about how stupid it is or how could I do this and what was I thinking. I don't need your permission to do this and I don't want it. If you don't agree with it that's your problem."

"Lex." Meredith tried to interject.

"So I don't care if you think I'm throwing my career away or destroying my life that's your problem and I don't..."

"Lexie!" Meredith spoke up, getting her sister to stop talking. "You're rambling."

"I'm sorry." She said, breathlessly. "I just don't want you to say you hate me."

Meredith set her wine glass down.

"Can I say that I'm going to miss you, or that it's going to suck not having you around?"

"So, you're not mad?"

"Lexie, I'm not mad. You're my sister. We're Grey girls, we have to stick together." She got up and led her sister into the living room.

"So what're you going to do?" She asked.

"To be honest, I don't really know." Lexie admitted. "I don't think I'm leaving for good but I do know that I just can't stay here right now."

She shook her head. "I just want to find my way back to the girl I was before the plane crash."

Meredith nodded slowly. "Ok." She finally said.

"Ok."

The two of them sat there, drinking glass after glass, not saying much of anything. A knocking on the door broke the silence and Meredith left Lexie alone. She already had a pretty good idea of who was here. She closed her eyes as she heard footsteps coming into the room.

"Lexie?"

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**Reviews are golden!**


	3. Chapter 3

**So originally when I started writing this story this was where it ended. Did it stay that way? Nope!**

* * *

"Mark? What are you doing here?" She stammered, looking around for Meredith who had made herself conveniently absent.

"You really thought that I was going to let you go out on this big journey by yourself?" He shook his head. "You are the love of my life, where ever you go, I go."

"You can't come with me Mark, this is something I have to do alone." She protested.

"Tough, because I'm coming whether you like it or not." He wrapped his arms around her. "I love you Lexie."

Lexie felt herself melt into his strong embrace. This was where she belonged, she belonged in his arms.

"Ok." She said softly. "You can come."

"Yeah?"

She took a shaky breath. "Yeah." She wiped the tears from her eyes when a thought struck her. "But what about your job? What about Sofia? Mark your whole life is here."

"My whole life is wherever you are. I already talked to Owen and he agreed that the two of us should take some time off. He probably wasn't expecting to  
loose us both for a whole year," he chuckled "but I think he can cope."

He spun her around resulting in a fit of giggles from her. "And I'll call Sofia every day. See, it's all ok."

"It's not going to be like what you're used to Mark." She told him. "No 5 star hotels, no first class airfare. I was planning on taking a bus across the country and sleeping in whatever hotel I could find."

"Little Grey," Mark smiled. "I may be a world renowned plastic surgeon, but I do remember what it was like to rough it, I had to pay my way through med school." His eyes twinkled.

She giggled and kissed him. It was long and slow, filled with all the passion and love she felt for him and tasted as sweet as honey. As the kiss intensified Mark felt his blood rush to his crotch.

"Oh no, not tonight Big Sloan." Lexie smiled and bit her lip seductively. "Tonight you have to pack."

Mark groaned. "Come on Lex, real quick. You can't kiss me like that and not expect me to want to take you right here."

Lexie laughed as she pushed him towards the door. "You and I both know that quick isn't how you do things Dr Sloan. Now go, say goodbye to Sofia. We'll leave tomorrow morning."

"Fine, I'll see you tomorrow. I love you Lex."

She kissed him again. "I love you too."

* * *

The alarm went off at 7 the next morning to an empty bed. Lexie been up for hours packing, stopping to look at certain objects and reminisce.

The attic had been her sanctuary for years, it was where she'd come after a long shift, it was where she and Meredith had grown closer and become real  
sisters, it represented a big chapter in her life. With a sad smile she flipped off the light as she left, she knew she'd be back but it would never be the same.

Placing her suitcase at the front door, she walked into the kitchen to find Meredith and Derek waiting for her with coffee and breakfast.

"Good morning." Derek said as Lexie scooted into the chair next to her sister. "How you feeling?"

"Pretty good, a little nervous but ready."

"And is Mark ready?" Meredith asked, a mischievous grin on her face.

Lexie sat there, shocked. "How do you know about that?" She cried.

Both Meredith and Derek laughed.

"Oh come on," Derek said. "You really expected us to believe that Mark would just let you walk out of his life again after everything you two have been through?"

Meredith took a sip of coffee. "Besides, we heard the two of you talking last night which means we owe Bailey $20." She pointed at Alex who was walking through the door.

"Dammit, is he going with her?" Alex asked.

"You guys had bets on us?" Lexie turned a deep red.

"Oh yeah," Alex joked. "The second it got out you were taking a year off, half the hospital had bets on whether Sloan would join you."

Lexie groaned and put her head on the counter.

"Cheer up Lexipedia." Alex poured himself a cup of coffee. "You guys are really doing this?"

"Yeah." Lexie beamed. "We're really doing this."

Meredith put her arm around her sister and hugged her.

"I'm gonna miss you Lex."

"I'm gonna miss you too, but I'll be back." She reassured her. "Promise you won't rent out my room?"

Meredith laughed. "I promise. You'll call us every day?"

"Every day." Lexie agreed.

The sound of the doorbell made everyone turn their heads. Lexie took a steadying breath.

"That's Mark." She said as she moved towards the door.

"Hey." She said as she opened the door.

"Hey, you ready to go?"

"Yeah, gimme a second to grab my stuff." She grabbed her bag and then looked around for his. "Mark, where's your suitcase?"

"It's in the car, come on." He grabbed her bag and led her towards a brand new, bright red Mercedes convertible.

"Mark, what is this?" Lexie asked, confused. Mark chuckled.

"Well, I figured that we could ether take a bus and get places slowly and on someone else's schedule, or we could make our own way." He kissed her. "Just because we're going on a road trip doesn't mean we can't have some fun." He laughed with a sparkle in his eye.

Her face broke out in a grin as Mark took their bags and placed them in the trunk.

"When did you get this?"

"I may have asked Derek to call in a favour or two last night." He grinned sheepishly. "I picked her up this morning."

He slid into the driver's seat as Lexie slid into the other side. She laughed as he pushed a button and the roof slid back.

She looked back at the house with her sister and brother-in-law standing on the porch then looked at Mark as they pulled out of the driveway. As they reached the interstate she looked at the skyline of Seattle. So much of her life had been lived here, this was the city where she'd fallen in love, where she'd  
found a sister she never knew existed, and where she'd made friends that would stay with her always.

She closed her eyes and felt the wind in her hair and the sun on her face. Her hand found Marks.

"So Lex, where too?"

She opened her eyes, looked at him, and smiled.

"Anywhere."

* * *

**And they're off! Let me know what yawl want to see happen on the road for these two because, while I have some ideas I'm working on, more are always appreciated!**


	4. Chapter 4

**A HUGE thanks to **_**Lord-of-the-Dance-is-She**_** and ****_LexieMcSteamy_**** for all the great feedback. I hope you guys like where the story is going so far. I have some ideas but more are always appreciated.**

* * *

It was just after one when Mark finally found a little mountainside diner to stop and get lunch at. Nothing fancy, just some picnic tables and a trailer cooking hotdogs but at this moment, it sounded just perfect to Lexie.

"Here you are Lex." Mark handed her her dog as he sat across the picnic table from her. "One hotdog with everything."

"Thank you." She said as she happily accepted the food. She bit into it, feeling the snap of the casing and tasting the pickles and peppers and cheese. Mark made a face.

"How can someone so sexy eat something so...?" He trailed off.

"Delicious? Heavenly? Mouth wateringly perfect?" She said between bites.

He laughed. "I was going with something more along the lines of nauseating. You got a little something." He motioned to his face.

"Shut up, I've been in a car for the last 6 hours. I can be as messy as I want." She shot back as she tried to wipe off her face.

He laughed and wiped a stray strand of cheese off her chin. "And yet, it's still hot."

She grinned and blushed. "I guess now we know why you chose hotdogs." She teased as she stuck out her tongue and swirled it around the tip of the hotdog before putting it in her mouth.

Mark groaned. "God don't do that to me Little Grey. It's been three months, don't torture me like that."

"I'm sorry Mark." She said, suddenly serious. "I know you want to but I just can't. I don't think I'm ready."

"Hey." He took her hand in his. "I can wait as long as you need. I don't care if I have to wait for three months or three years, I will wait for you." He leaned across the table and kissed her.

She smiled and gave him an incredulous look. "Did you just say what I think you said?"

"What?"

"Did Mark McSteamy Sloan, cofounder and VP of the Dirty Mistresses Club just say he was willing to swear off sex and wait for a girl?"

"Uh ex-VP." Mark corrected her with a cocky smirk on his face. "And second, you, Alexandra Grey, are no ordinary girl. You are a woman, you are a kick ass surgeon, and you are the love of my life."

He leaned back on the bench. "But god Lex, please don't hold out for three years. I don't know how I could survive that."

She giggled. "I won't make you wait three years." She promised. "You still do things to me that I can't ignore, I just don't feel ready to act on them." She reassured him.

Popping the last of the hotdog into her mouth, she wiped her hands on her jeans as she got up and went over to the car. Mark came up behind her as she pulled a map of the United States out of the glove compartment and opened it up on the hood.

"So I'm thinking," Lexie smiled as Mark leaned over her. "We have 52 weeks and 50 states. Why don't we just spend a week exploring each one?"

Mark chuckled at her childlike exuberance. "Where do you want to start?" He nibbled on her ear, eliciting a giggle from her.

"Stop that." She smiled. "Let's head east."

"Idaho it is then. What's there to do in Idaho?"

"Well I guess we'll find out won't we?"

She squealed as he suddenly lifted her up and carried her around to the passenger side of the car.

"What are you doing?" She laughed.

"We've got 50 states to get through. Better start now." He winked as he dropped her into her seat.

* * *

"Well it's a good thing we got started." Lexie grinned as she sat on a log on the side of the road. They had made it through most of the mountains before the little red car had emitted a strange noise and sputtered to a stop.

"Ha ha, funny." Mark said from under the hood. "You could help you know."

"Mm, I'm good." She made a face. He laughed and walked towards her.

"Oh no." She protested. "You stay away from me, you've got oil all over your shirt!"

"Easy fix." He smirked and pulled his shirt off leaving him bare chested.

"Better?" He asked, trying to hug her.

"Um, back to work." Lexie pushed against his pecs. With a sly smile he threw the ruined article of clothing over his shoulder and walked back to the car, pretending not to notice as she checked him out.

"You sure you know what you're doing?" She called.

"Come on Little Grey, I may not have a photographic memory but I read the owner's manual. How hard could it be?" He called back.

She pulled her shirt tight and looked around. They were in the middle of practically nowhere on a two lane road surrounded by woods. She was also pretty sure that their broken down car was the equivalent of this roads rush hour.

"Mark it's getting late, you think we should try calling for help?" She called.

Mark just nodded, his mouth set in a grim line. They both had spent too many nights in the woods. Signing he pulled a cell phone out and started dialing.

"Cheer up." She smirked and walked over to him.

He sighed. "This wasn't exactly how I envisioned us starting out."

"Maybe, but it's definitely memorable." She giggled but Mark was no longer smiling.

"Damn it." He cursed. "I'm not getting any bars out here. Try your phone."

She did. "Nothing, Mark I don't have any bars." She felt the hysteria begin to creep into her voice. "Mark what if we're stuck out here? What if we're trapped out here in the woods and no one is going to help is? Oh god what if one of us dies Mark? What are we going to do?"

"Stop it Lex! No one is going to die, not tonight. We're going to be fine." He wrapped her in a tight embrace.

"But you don't know that Mark, you don't know. A tree could fall on us or an escaped serial killer could find us or maybe..."

She was interrupted by Mark ramming his tongue down her throat. When they finally came back up for air she looked at him, speechless.

"Sorry Lex, but it was the only way I could think of to calm you down." He explained, searching her eyes for any bits of panic. "You ok?"

"Yeah." She breathed as she pulled him into another kiss. This one was much better than the first, mainly because both parties were actively involved. He began to kiss his way down her collarbone, eliciting a slight moan from the other party.

"God how I've missed this." He thought. He was so lost in passion that he almost missed her calling him.

"Truck!"

"Interesting choice for a nickname Lex but I think I can live with it." He muttered into her skin.

"No Mark really, truck!" She pushed him off her and pointed. Sure enough a big 18 wheeler was making its way down the road. Lexie started to wave her hands wildly.

"Hey!" She yelled out. "Hey over here!"

Mark could only laugh at the sight. She hit him in the stomach.

"Put your shirt back on." She ordered as the truck came to a stop.

* * *

The first thing she noticed about him as he climbed out of the cab was that he was extremely handsome. Maybe not quite as handsome as Mark, but pretty damn close. A thin cotton T-shirt and a red flannel shirt covered a well-muscled torso while his legs were encased in a pair of worn blue jeans that hugged him just right and showed off his ass really well. His face was angular and his jawline strong with some light black scruff dusting his chin and he had a really gorgeous pair of emerald green eyes. She guessed that he couldn't have been older than 35 or 36.

"Howdy." He spoke with a Texan drawl that Lexie certainly found charming. "Am I interrupting something?" He asked, looking at Lexie's slightly rumpled hair.

"No." Lexie quickly replied.

"Yes." Mark grumbled, earning him another hit in the gut from Lexie.

"Our car broke down and we can't get any service out here, can you give us a lift?" She asked.

"Sure thing." He replied. "Where y'all headed?"

"That's a good question. We don't even really know where we are." She admitted sheepishly.

"Well I can help you with that." He flashed her a charming smile that set Mark on edge. "Y'all're about two miles from the state line and five miles out from Makers Mark, Idaho. That's the nearest town. I can give y'all a lift in if ya like. We can have someone out here to get the car in the morning."

"That'd be great!" Lexie breathed in relief.

"Fantastic." He stuck out his hand. "Russell Parker."

She enthusiastically shook it. "Lexie Grey."

"Dr Mark Sloan." Mark cut in. "Lexie's boyfriend."

"Well alrighty then." Russell grinned. "Why don't y'all grab your bags and we can head on out?"

As they turned back towards the car, Mark swore he saw Russell checking out Lexie's ass. As she reached into the trunk, he placed his hand on her ass.

"Mark, what are you doing?" She hissed.

"Just feeling the merchandise." He gave her a wounded McSteamy face, earning him a smile and an eye roll.

"Come on." She said, pulling their bags from the trunk.

The two of them clamoured up into the cab where Russell sat waiting. Lexie sat in the middle, seemingly oblivious to how uncomfortable it made Mark to see her sitting so close to Russell.

"So where in Texas do you live?" She asked, making small talk.

Russell laughed. "I'm originally from the Austin area but I moved out of the state long time ago. Never could seem to shake the accent though."

"So you live in Makers Mark?"

"Naw, but I make this route once or twice a month. Its hell on Jordan and the kids, but it pays well. Currently I live down in Kansas."

"So you're married?" Mark interjected.

"Not quite." Russell chuckled. "But it works for us."

It wasn't long before the sign welcoming them to Makers Mark loomed before them.

"I'll drop y'all off at Miss Shelby's. It's the only place to stay in town. It's not fancy but it's clean and comfortable." Russell explained. "I'll drop around the garage for y'all and send them out to your car if you like"

"That'd be really great." Lexie assured him.

* * *

They pulled up outside a large brick house with a little sign out from welcoming them to Miss Shelby's B&B.

"Hey, I'm staying I town a few days. Maybe I could show you around?" Russell offered as Mark and Lexie climbed out.

"Sounds fun." Lexie smiled.

"Yeah, fun." Mark grumbled as he lugged the bags inside.

* * *

**What are Russell's intentions? What does Makers Mark have in store for the pair? Will Lexie and Mark ever have sex again? Review and you might find out that much sooner.**


	5. Chapter 5

**So originally I was going to just have all of Markers Mark in one chapter but it ended up being too long so I split it in two. I'll try and have the other half up tomorrow.**

* * *

"Welcome to Makers Mark." An older woman, probably closer to 60, greeted them as they went inside. She was plump and sounded like she'd smoked three pack a day, unfiltered, for twenty years. "Russell radioed ahead, you must be the couple he picked up."

"That's us." Lexie nodded. "I'm Lexie and this is Mark."

"Well I'm Miss Shelby." The woman smiled as she shook each of their hands, holding Marks a little bit longer than was comfortable. "If you would follow me."

They followed her up the stairs and were led into a spacious room at the front of the house. It was well furnished with a queen sized bed, love seat, and large chest of drawers. An ornately designed silk dressing screen sat in the corner. Two large windows looked out over the front yard.

"Here you both are, bathroom is down the hall, second door on your right. I hope this will be satisfactory." She said from the door as Mark and Lexie entered. "Of course I can offer you separate rooms. There's one next to my room that's all made up. It's perfect for such a strapping young man like yourself." Her eyes coming to rest on his biceps.

"This is just fine." Mark quickly assured her, laying the suitcases on the bed. He hoped this would be the end and she'd leave them alone. No such luck.

"Russell said you were a doctor?"

"Yes ma'am." Mark shifted uncomfortably, much to the amusement of Lexie.

"I don't mean to intrude, but I think I've got a lump on my breast."

Lexie snorted violently.

"Do you think you could take a look?"

"I...um..." Mark stuttered, desperately searching for an out. "You know Dr Grey here is much more apt at this then I am."

"Oh come now Dr Sloan." Lexie grinned. "She asked for you specifically, don't be rude."

He shot her a death glare as Miss Shelby moved towards him. She took each of his hands by the wrist and put them on her boobs. Lexie was doing all she could not to bust out laughing as she watched the discomfort on Marks face as she moved his hands all over her well-aged breasts. It was fairly obvious she wore no bra.

"Feel anything?" She asked as Mark finally managed to pull his hands away.

"No, no you're good." He stammered, his face a deep crimson.

"Well, it's always good to be cautious. I'll let you know if the lump comes back." And with that she left the room.

"Be sure you do." Lexie called after her as Mark shut the door and locked it.

"I feel violated." He said, shaking his hands.

Lexie grinned. "Oh come on, she's harmless."

"You say that." Mark countered. "But you weren't the one who had your hands thrust into her chest."

Lexie howled with laughter as Mark threw a pillow at her.

* * *

He never got tired of waking up next to her. It always amazed him how, even when she slept, she could excite all of his senses. The feeling of her soft skin against his, the sound of her steady breathing, the taste of her lips still lingering in his, the smell of her mixing with the smell of the detergent in the sheets. But by far his favorite was right now, the moment when they were both halfway in between sleep and awake and she would roll over and their eyes would meet for the first time all over again. God he loved waking up next to her.

"Mm, good morning." She mumbled sleepily.

"Yeah it is." He said softly and cupped her face with his palm. "Sleep ok?"

"With you beside me? I slept perfectly."

He grinned as he kissed her. "How's it feel to wake up and not have to go to the hospital?"

She scrunched her face. "Kinda weird, but I think it's a good weird. You?"

"Yeah, kinda the same. But on the plus side, we get to lie in bed all day with each other."

Lexie giggled then groaned. "Except we don't. We have to deal with the car. This wouldn't have happened if we'd taken the bus." She poked.

"If we'd taken the bus we'd probably still be in Washington." Mark countered. "Plus I don't think you'd want me to do this on the bus." He grazed his knuckles against her sex earning a sharp intake from Lexie.

"Mark no!" She gasped. "Not now!"

"Come on, I'm sure Miss Shelby is downstairs by now." He mumbled as his other hand slipped to her breast.

"No I..." A rapping on the door interrupted her. Lexie sent silent thanks to whoever it was as the door opened.

"Good morning." Miss Shelby bounded into the room. Mark wondered if she'd heard what had just happened. "I don't mean to barge in like this but I just want you to know that breakfast is almost ready. This morning it's hash browns, Belgian waffles soaked in vanilla, cream, and brandy, and bacon and eggs served anyway you want them."

"No eggs for me please, I'm allergic." Lexie spoke up.

"Fine, you?" She looked at Mark with hungry eyes.

"That all sounds delicious." Mark prayed silently that she'd leave.

"You want anything else?" She asked, her eyes never leaving Mark. She licked her bottom lip, a gesture that had turned Mark on countless times when Lexie had done it now made him want to hurl. He cursed himself for sleeping shirtless. "Fresh towels perhaps, your clothes unpacked?"

"We're fine, thank you." He shifted uncomfortably. After a moment of her still not moving he cleared his throat. "We'll be down shortly."

"Alright, better hurry before it's gone." She said as she finally left the room. Mark turned to Lexie who'd buried her face in the pillow. "Please don't leave me alone with her, _ever_!" He pleaded.

Lexie struggled to catch her breath. "Oh dear god I don't think I've laughed so hard in all my life." She broke down again, her tiny body shaking with uncontrollable laughter until tears streamed down her face.

"God I swear she was listening at the door." He shuddered and flung back the sheets. "I need to go take a shower."

"Better hurry, she probably has a peep hole in there." Lexie laughed as Mark grabbed his clothes and a towel. Once he'd left, Lexie pulled out her cell phone. She scrolled down through the list of names till she came to the number Russell had given her last night.

"Hello?" Came the voice.

"Hey Russell, its Lexie."

"Hey there Lexie." His tone immediately brightened. "How'd you sleep?"

"Like a baby." She grinned. "You could've warned us about Miss Shelby and her cougar like ways. She practically sexually assaulted Mark last night." She laughed at the memory.

He chuckled. "Yeah, that thought occurred to me after I left. So what's up?"

"I was wondering if you could take us over to the garage today. We need them to go get out car."

"Oh that's already taken care of." He told her. "I met with Eugenie last night and he went out and brought it back this morning. It should be waiting for yawl."

"Great!" Lexie chirped. "Can you come around in about half an hour to take us over there?"

"Sure thing."

"Ok, see you then." She snapped the phone shut as Mark walked back into the room. "That was fast."

"Yeah well after your little comment about the peephole, I didn't want to stick around too long. I felt like someone was watching me."

Lexie grinned. "Russell's coming over in half an hour to take us to check on the car."

"Oh great." Mark grumbled. At Lexie's inquisitive glance he continued. "It's not that I don't like Russell, he seems like a nice enough guy, it's that I don't like how he flirts with you when I'm around."

Lexie put on a fake shocked expression. "Is the great Mark Sloan jealous?"

"Of a younger, good looking guy checking out the ass of my amazingly hot girlfriend? Absolutely."

"Oh come on Mark, he's married with children!" Lexie admonished.

"No he's not." Mark countered. "He said they weren't married."

"Well you have nothing to worry about." She reassured him. She got up from the bed and crossed to him. "I don't want anyone else but you. You and I are meant to be, remember?" She kissed him.

"Yeah I do." He smiled.

They stood close to each other for a moment, silently enjoying the lack of space, before Lexie spoke again.

"I should get dressed. You wanna go downstairs and get started on breakfast?" She asked as she moved towards her suitcase.

"And risk being alone with that woman?" He cringed. "No thanks, I'll wait."

She grinned, took her clothes, and slipped behind the screen.

* * *

**Review please, it really is a great motivator!**


	6. Chapter 6

**So before we start, just a little shameless advertising. If you like this story, go checkout my other stories ****_You'll Always Be My Home (Slexie Funeral), Once Bitten and Twice Shy (Jolex), _****and****_ Hello Husband, Hello Wife (all Grey's marriages)_****. I'll be honest, I'm not totally thrilled with this chapter (maybe that's why it's so short) but I needed a way to get them out of Makers Mark and this is what I came up with. I feel like it picks up more towards the end but that's just me.**

* * *

"So what exactly does one do in Markers Mark?" Lexie inquired as the tree of them rode along in Russell's truck.

"I'll be honest, not much." He admitted. After a breakfast that Lexie was sure had made her gain 20 pounds, Russell had run them over to see Eugenie, the town mechanic, about the car. He'd diagnosed it as a faulty spark plug and said that they'd be on the road again by that evening at the latest, but in the meantime Lexie and Mark were stuck in Makers Mark. "But there is something outside of Markers Mark that I wanted to show you."

He pulled off the main road and stopped in front of a concrete building.

"Where are we?" Mark asked as he helped Lexie out.

"The Markers Mark Gem Mining State Park." Russell announced.

"Gem mining? You can do that in Idaho?" Mark looked confused.

Lexie nodded. "Almost any kind of gemstone can be found in this state."

"Lexie said y'all were wantin' to try something new? Well I figured this was about as new as you can get out here." Russell explained as he pulled three pails and some shovels out of the cab.

* * *

Dirt was not something Mark did, mud, was not something Mark did, but at the moment he was in the middle of a muddy field combing through brown colored rocks with his girlfriend and a man they'd just met who Mark was sure was trying to get into her pants.

"Having fun?" Lexie asked as she dumped a few more rocks into her pail.

"Oh yeah," Mark rolled his eyes. "The time of my life.

"Come on." Lexie smiled good-naturedly and kissed him. "He's trying."

Mark mumbled something under his breath as Lexie walked over to wash off her rocks. Mark watched as Russell joined her. What happened next made Marks blood boil.

Although they were far away and he was watching through a group of loud tourists, he was almost sure he saw Russell lay a hand on Lexie's ass.

That does it! He didn't care if Lexie wasn't interested in Russell, he was definitely interested in her. He was up like a shot, pushing people aside, nostrils flaring, running straight for Russell. He was gonna kick his ass so hard that...

His train of thought was interrupted as his feet slid on the mud underneath him. He felt himself falling and let out a cry. Lexie turned.

"Mark!"

* * *

"He found a what?"

"A star garnet." Lexie repeated to her sister. She and Meredith were face timing as Mark loaded the bags into the car.

"Wait, I'm confused, how did he find a..." Meredith trailed off.

"Garnet." Lexie prompted.

"Right, how'd he find one of those?"

Lexie blushed. "He was sort of trying to tackle a man he thought had grabbed my ass and he fell. When he came back up it turned out he'd fallen on this." Lexie held up the deep purple gemstone. After Marks discovery, Russell had sent them to a jeweler in town who'd cut, polished, and mounted the 24 carat stone on a simple gold pendant which Lexie now wore around her neck.

"Oh wow that's gorgeous!" A female voice gushed.

"Who was that?" Lexie asked her sister. "They sound vaguely familiar."

"I hope I sound more than vaguely familiar." The voice piped up. Meredith rolled her eyes and tilted the iPad to reveal new face.

"April!" Lexie gasped. "What are you doing back in Seattle?"

"Hunt offered me my job back!" The bubbly redhead responded.

"I was gonna come and see you in Moline!" Lexie playfully whined.

"When I said you should come out and try it, I didn't mean literally!"

Lexie laughed and spotted Mark exiting with the last of their bags. "What's the latest gossip around the hospital?"

Meredith's mouth set itself in a grim line. April saw this and took it as her cue.

"We'll talk later Lex." She said as she scurried off.

"Meredith, what's wrong? Mer you're scaring me." Something in her tone got Marks attention. He abandoned the bag next to the car and came over to get in in the gossip.

"They're pursuing a lawsuit against the airline." Meredith sighed.

"Oh." Was all Lexie could say. She knew it would be coming, it was pretty much inevitable, but it still was a definite thing.

"So what Grey?" Mark spoke up. "What do we have to do?"

"Do we have to come back?"

"Not necessarily. Derek and I could act as your proxies, Owen's doing that for Christina, I just thought you'd like to know what's happening."

"Oh course." Lexie quickly agreed as Mark nodded.

"Keep us in the loop Grey." He ordered.

A chiming sound came from Meredith's end. "Christina's calling." She explained. "Can I cut you off?"

"Sure, talk to you later Mer. Give Zola, Sophia, and Derek our love." Lexie managed a small smile as Meredith hung up.

Lexie blew out her cheeks and leaned up against the car beside Mark.

"So what now Lex?"

She thought it over for a second before looking at the suitcase that was still sitting on the sidewalk.

"We keep going. That's not our problem for now. People we trust are taking care of it right?"

He nodded. "Right."

"So we keep going."

"We keep going."

* * *

**In response to a question I got from ****_LexieMcSteamy_****, I'm sure there are multiple realistic reasons why she's holding out but, if we're being honest, I've already got a plan as to when she'll give in and it's going to be very meaningful for the both of them. So yeah, purely selfish reasons, but that chapter should be in the next two or three chapters so it's slowly coming, just gotta find a way to make it all fit. Questions? Comments? Concerns? Declarations proclaiming your house to be an independent country? (PS: Yes garnet mining is a real and booming tourist industry in Idaho, I promise I did not make that up.)**


	7. Chapter 7

**I decided to skip a few states in the story simply because it just wouldn't have been practical or particularly interesting. So to catch you up, at this point they have gone through Idaho, Montana, Wyoming, both Dakotas, Minnesota, Wisconsin, Iowa, and Nebraska. Sorry if you were excited for some particular reason about reading about their exploits in any of those particular states, but I gotta keep the story moving.**

* * *

"We should probably think about finding a place stay tonight." Mark spoke up, lowering his aviators. They had just finished a week in Nebraska which didn't exactly sound like fun but in actuality hadn't been too bad. "Looks like we're back to the two star roadside motel."

"Oh come on." Lexie admonished. "You got to choose the hotel in Lincoln."

"That place was four stars at best." Mark grumbled.

"Oh, poor baby." Lexie laughed. "But you're probably right, I don't exactly feel like spending another night on the road. Where do you think we are?"

"Well if I remember my US geography, the state directly below Nebraska is Kansas."

"Anything to do in Kansas?"

"Cow tipping?" Lexie snorted. "What? Isn't that what they do out here?" He asked, only half joking.

"Can we just stop for a moment to imagine the great Mark Sloan, world renowned, double board certified plastic surgeon, getting close enough to a cow to push it over?" She threw her head back and laughed at the thought.

Mark laughed too. "Ok, so cow tipping's out. Maybe I'll find a strip club."

"You do that and I promise you, you will lose a very important part of your anatomy that I'm sure you would very much like to keep."

He chuckled and she rested her hand on top of his. "Hey." She looked at him with her big brown eyes. "Thank you for coming with me. I originally thought I needed to do this alone, but there hasn't been a day that I haven't been glad you came with me."

"I'm glad I came too." He looked at her. "There is absolutely nowhere else I'd rather be." He clasped her hand. "You are the most important person in my life." He turned his head back to the road. "Well, Sophia may be tied for that but she's my little girl."

Lexie smiled. "I'll gladly share it with her. How is the little munchkin?" True to his word, Mark was calling her once a day, sometimes twice a day, determined to be a part of her life even from far away.

"She's good. She said that 'Awizoa' was walking so that's a good sign. A really good sign actually. How're the McDreamy's?"

"Meredith's good, better now that Christina's back. And she said that Callie was working to fix Derek's hand." She reported.

Both of them knew that the other was dancing around the one very big puzzle piece that they'd left out. The current report was that their friends had rejected the out of court settlement and were now going to trial. Just one more plank in the bridge over the troubled waters.

"Oh hey!" Lexie suddenly perked up. "Guess what?"

"What?"

"Ok." She turned towards him, sitting on her leg. "But if I tell you this, you have to swear to me that you won't say anything to anyone, not even to Callie. Promise?"

"I promise, I promise. Scouts honor." He raised his hand. "What's the big secret?"

"Meredith's pregnant."

"Really? That's great!" Mark exclaimed. The idea of his fellow dirty mistress finally having the family she always wanted, not to mention with his best friend, was fantastic!

"Yes it is!" Lexie gushed. "They've been trying for so long and now she's finally pregnant!"

Marks smile faltered just for a moment. He was ecstatic for his friends, but he couldn't help but wish that he could have it too. He couldn't push Lexie, but he couldn't wait forever. He cleared his throat.

"Let's find that hotel."

* * *

It was shortly before dark when Mark found a place that didn't look too offensive. It looked like it'd been built sometime in the 50's and the large house on the hill behind it gave the place a very Norman Bates Psycho vibe, but it was clean and looked well cared for. It also, according to the neon sign out front, had a vacancy.

As they pulled into the gravel parking lot, Lexie turned to Mark.

"How's your mother Mister Bates?"

"Uh-uh, Mother-m-mother, uh, what is the phrase? She isn't quite herself today." Mark said in his best Norman Bates impression. Lexie have him a look of surprise. "What? You think because you've got a photographic memory you're the only one who can quote Hitchcock?"

"I learn something new about you every day." Lexie smiled as they walked into the front office.

"Welcome to the Gates Motel." A chipper woman in her mid-forties greeted them. Mark and Lexie exchanged a look. "I'm Rhoda Gates, the owner of this fine establishment. Checking in?"

"Yes please." Lexie nodded.

"Ok, how long?" Rhoda looked from one to the other.

"Umm, probably just one night." Lexie looked at Mark.

"Alright, that'll be $43."

Mark took out his wallet. "By the way," he asked. "We don't really have a map, all we know is we're somewhere in Kansas. Can you tell us where exactly?"

"Sure thing honey." Rhoda replied. "You've found yourself in the town of Xonia, Kansas, just about the friendliest town you'll ever find.

"Good to know." Mark smiled. The woman handed them their key and they went back out to the car to retrieve their luggage.

"At least this one didn't ask you to feel her boobs for lumps." Lexie joked, earning a laugh from Mark.

"Ah, but the night is young." Was his witty reply as they carried the bags to their room.

Once unpacked, Lexie voiced her desire to eat which sent them back to Rhoda.

"So Rhoda," Mark asked to the woman as they walked into the office. "Where do you suggest we go if we want to get some food?"

"Cats." Was her quick reply.

Mark looked at Lexie but she looked just as confused as he was. He turned back to Rhoda. "Um, Cats?"

"Cats." She nodded with grave sincerity. "If you're only in town for the night, you gotta go to Cats."

* * *

**We'll be staying the Xonia for a few chapters but that's because I've got something very big planned that I think y'all're gonna love! Please review, ****_LexieMcSteamy_**** is wonderful about it, follow their example!**


	8. Chapter 8

**I had fun writing this chapter, it felt long overdue but I think it turned out really really well. Hopefully you think so too!**

* * *

Turns out 'Cats' was short for 'Cat Donny's Bar and Smokehouse', the local watering hole. As Mark and Lexie walked in, they were immediately greeted by the smell of barbecue, the sound of a live band playing country music, and the sight of people having fun ether out on the dance floor or over at the bar. The two of them managed to find their way to a table on the edge of the dance floor. As they listened to the band, a familiar voice pierced the noise.

"Lexie?"

She turned to see Russell making his way towards them through the crowed bar.

"Oh my god, Russell!" She exclaimed as he pulled her into a hug. "What are you doing here?"

"I live here, what are you doing here?" He turned to Mark and shook his hand. "Hey man, how's it going?"

Mark shook his hand and responded in kind. "We're just passing though." He spoke with an edge in his voice that Russell didn't seem to notice.

"So out of all the small towns in Kansas you just happen to land in mine?" Russell asked, amused.

Lexie shook her head. "Looks like it."

She and Russell laughed while Mark at least had the grace to look amused. He still was not a huge fan of Russell's, no matter what Lexie said.

"So where're y'all stayin'?" He asked.

"Over at the Gates Motel." Lexie replied.

"Ahh, with Rhoda and her nephew Rolland."

Lexie and Mark looked at each other. "You're kidding right?"

Russell looked at them. "About what?"

Seeing he was serious they just shook their heads. "Nothing, nothing." Mark said.

"Oh hey!" Russell said. "I've got someone I want you to meet." With that he disappeared into the crowd. After a short while he resurfaced with a young, good looking man in tow.

"Lexie, Mark," he introduced. "This is my boyfriend Jordan."

Lexie's eyebrows shot up and a smile danced across her face. Marks mouth dropped a little.

"Pleasure to meet you." Jordan smiled. "Russell told me quite a bit about you two."

"All lies I'm sure." Lexie smiled and shook Jordan's hand. "He did mention kids."

"Yep." Jordan beamed. "We adopted two little girls from Romania a few years ago." Russell pulled out his phone and handed it to Jordan who pulled up a picture of two little girls in matching dresses.

"The one on the left is Jeannie and the one on the right is little Molly." Russell said as Jordan handed the phone to Lexie.

"They're precious." She gushed as she passed the phone to Mark who had to resist the urge to pull out the photos of his own daughter.

As the phone made its way back to Russell, Jordan finished off his beer. "Hey babe, I'm gonna get another one. Want anything?"

"Sure." Russell turned to Mark and Lexie. "What're y'all drinking?"

"I'll have whatever you're having." Mark answered. Jordan nodded and looked to Lexie.

"Tequila Sunrise please." Lexie responded.

"A girl who can handle the hard stuff, my kinda woman." Russell laughed and, for once, Mark did too. "Be back in a minute." He said as he and Jordan disappeared in the direction of the bar. Once they were safely out of earshot, Lexie turned to Mark.

"Oh yeah, it was definitely MY ass he was checking out." Lexie laughed.

Mark shook his head and gave a chuckle. "I'll admit, I did not see that one coming. But at least I can stop feeling threatened by Russell."

Lexie smacked his shoulder and laughed.

* * *

As the night wore on, the four of them danced and laughed until it was after midnight.

"Hey Mark?" Lexie yawned. "Can we head back to the motel?"

"Aww, is someone tired already?" He teased lightly.

"Shut up." She smiled and gave her a shove. He grinned but led her out all the same.

They had been so engrossed on what was going on inside that they'd somehow failed to notice the sky had opened up and was currently pouring rain.

"You wanna go get the car and come pick me up?" She asked.

His eyes twinkled with mischief. "I've got a better idea."

Lexie shrieked with laughter as Mark slung her over his shoulder and hauled her out into the downpour.

"Marcus Sloan!" She yelled. "Put me down right now!"

"Ok, but you asked for it." He smirked evilly and let go of her legs, causing her to topple off his shoulder and land in a puddle of water.

"Oh, you are so going to pay for that!" She laughed as she flung a handful of muddy water at him.

"Come and get me Grey!" He shouted as Lexie ran after him, jumping on his back.

* * *

From the relative dryness of the overhang, Russell and Jordan stood watching the two of them.

Jordan sighed. "Isn't it wonderful to watch?"

"What?"

He motioned to Mark and Lexie playing in the pouring rain, huge grins plastered on their faces. "True love."

* * *

He spun her around before she managed to drag him to the ground with her. They were now both soaking wet and caked in mud, but neither of them cared. They were having too much fun being silly. He helped her to her feet and just stood there, gazing at her.

They stood there for what felt like hours. Lexie could swear she saw all the secrets of the universe in his eyes. Acting purely on impulse he pulled her into him and kissed her, soft and hard, fast and slow.

In that moment no one else in the world existed. It was just Mark and Lexie, alive and infinite.

The kiss lasted until they were back in the motel room, removing clothes and feeling the desire of skin on skin contact. He ran his hands up and down her soft back and he lifted her shirt over her head. She let it fall to the floor as she wordlessly unzipped his soaking wet jeans pulled him onto the bed, feeling the weight of his body on top of her.

"Are you sure you're ready Lexie?" Mark asked, worry in his eyes.

She bit her lip and nodded. "Teach me Mark. Teach me how to feel this again."

He grinned so she continued.

"Teach me."

She removed her jeans, he removed his.

"Teach me."

She removed his shirt and felt his muscles under her hands. He unclasped her bra and cupped her beautiful, shapely breasts.

"Teach me."

* * *

It was definitely the most tentative sex either of them had had with the other. But once it began they quickly fell back into the long awaited passion and comfort of feeling one another. It was gentle and passionate, almost as if they were doing it for the first time.

And in a sense, they were.

They were no longer the Mark and Lexie they had once been. They were stronger now, they were closer, they were alive, they were together.

They lay there, naked, wrapped in sheets and each other's arms. The only light came from the headlights of the occasional passing car shining through the window. She could tell he was awake by the rhythm of his breathing, but for now she just wanted to savour the feeling of them together.

He lightly stroked her hair, this felt so right. He didn't even mind she'd kept him waiting for so long, he'd meant it when he said he'd wait for her. He always meant what he said to her.

As the morning sun was creeping through the blinds, Lexie spoke.

"Mark?"

"Hmm?"

"Let's get married." She said softly.

"What?" He asked, not sure if he'd heard her correctly.

"There's a church here in town, and I don't want to wait any longer." She rolled over to face him. "Let's get married."

He broke out in a smile that stretched from ear to ear. "Yeah?"

She giggled. "Yeah."

* * *

**I'll be honest, I was listening to Sara Ramirez singing Grace (the song playing when Meredith and Derek hooked up during the prom at the end of season 2) while I wrote this last part. Maybe it's something about that song that makes everything more romantic but I think it turned out really well. Review please!**


	9. Chapter 9

**Hello friends! Anyone else excited for the return of Grey's tomorrow? God how I hate hiatuses! Oh well, we'll always have fanfiction to keep us warm in the meantime.**

* * *

Lexie spent the rest of the morning in a blissful daze. Married, she was going to get married! She felt like she was walking on air as she made her way into the motel office.

"Excuse me?" She sighed happily. "Would it be too much trouble to extend our stay a few more days?"

"Well I haven't seen a look like that in a long time. What's got you so happy dear?" The woman inquired.

"I'm getting married. I asked him to marry me and he said yes!" She gushed, not really caring if she was talking to a complete stranger. She was in love and she didn't care who knew it!

"Why congratulations honey!" Rhoda smiled. "When's the wedding?"

"As soon as possible! Mark and I are going to the church this morning to see when the pastor can marry us."

"Well I wish you all the best, you both can stay as long as you like. I'll even give you 20% off. Think of it as a newlywed special." She winked and watched Lexie smiled and walked out of the office and into Marks arms. Rhoda sighed, Lexie's happiness was contagious. She reached for the office phone and started dialing.

"Dolly?" She said when she herd the phone click. "It's Rhoda, you will not believe what's happening down at the motel!"

* * *

The little white church looked like it'd been ripped right out of a postcard from its large wooden doors to the tall yet narrow windows on each side, the brown shingled roof, and prominent steeple that was probably the tallest structure in town. Lexie loved it and Mark had to admit, it was charming as hell.

Pastor Michelson was an older man with a kind face and ramrod spine. He'd been a preacher for over 30 years and had seen the comings and goings of this town his entire life. He'd seen people through marriages, christenings, divorces, and memorials. But rarely had he seen two people as in love as the young couple before him. There was a noticeable age difference between the two of them, if he had to guess he'd say probably about 10 years, but they both had the same light in their eyes that one gets when you've met the love of your life.

After looking over the schedule with him, they settled on 3:00 that Sunday to be married, two days away. He watched as she took his hand and giggled when he whispered something in her ear and how he held the door for her as they left. He leaned back in the pew and looked up at the large stained glass window at the back of the church. It was people like that that made him glad to be a preacher.

With a little shake of his head he chuckled and pulled out his cellphone. "I stalled them for two days Rhoda, you do what you do best."

* * *

Mark spun her around when they entered their motel room, eliciting giggles from the both of them.

"We're getting married." He leaned his forehead against hers.

"We're getting married." She breathed, her warm breath hitting his mouth. He pulled her into a deep kiss, savoring the feeling of her mouth on his. The kiss intensified as she pushed him back towards the bed. She made a move towards his belt when they were interrupted by a knock at the door.

"Maybe if we're quite they'll go away." Mark murmured. Lexie pulled away and moved to open the door.

"I hope I'm not interrupting anything." Rhoda asked as Lexie opened the door.

"Not at all Ms Gates, what can we do for you?" Lexie cleared her throat and tried to straighten her blouse.

"Oh posh honey, I hear Ms Gates I look around for my mother." She said with a wave of her hand. "Call me Rhoda. I was actually on my way into town and wanted to see if you'd like to come with me dear."

Lexie looked back at Mark. She really wanted to spend some alone time with him but she didn't want to seem rude.

"Ok, give us 5 minutes." She finally decided.

"Actually honey I only have room for one in my truck. I was hoping I could get your fiancée here to help my nephew in moving some furniture up in the house. You do that and I'll cut another 10% of your bill." Rhoda offered.

"Fine, sure thing." Mark grumbled slightly.

"Excellent. We should be back in no more than half an hour. Rolland will show you what to do." She turned to leave.

"One more thing hon," She spun back around. "You forgot to fill out an emergency contact info when you checked in. County law says I can't serve you without a name, so if you would just quickly jot down someone before you head up that'd be great."

"He'll do that right away." Lexie assured the woman.

"Great. I'll go pull the truck around front." And with that, Rhoda was gone.

Mark looked at Lexie with confusion in his eyes.

"Oh come on. She's trying to be nice." She admonished.

"By separating us and making me move furniture?"

"And making up for it by taking 30% off our bill." She reminded him. "She probably doesn't get a ton of business around here so she really didn't have to do that."

"You've just gotta find the good in everyone don't you?" He wrapped his arms around her waist.

"I did with you, and that turned out pretty good." She smiled.

* * *

**Don't worry, I have a plan as to how this is all going to be played out, I promise! Reviews are a wonderful motivator!**


	10. Chapter 10

**Last night my TV blew and we're not getting it fixed till Monday so I'm still in the dark over what happened last night. I've waited for over 2 month but it's these last few days that will kill me.**

* * *

The little truck bounced down the road into town, hitting, what felt like to Lexie, each and every pothole imaginable.

"If you don't mind me asking hon." Rhoda spoke up. "But why are the two of you not just going to the courthouse to get married?"

Lexie shook her head. "My sister and brother did that and while it was great for them, I've always dreamed of getting married in an actual church."

"But you don't know anyone here and I don't think I'd be wrong in saying you don't have a dress." Rhoda glanced at the young girl next to her.

"I don't need a dress, or a large wedding filled with people. I just need him." Lexie said firmly. "I mean, sure it'd be wonderful to have all that, but all I need is Mark."

"And a church." Rhoda grinned.

"And a church." Lexie agreed with a giggle.

* * *

"I need to duck in here for a moment hon." Rhoda explained as she pulled up out front of a storefront filled with dresses of all kinds. "Just need to drop of a dress for Dolly to repair. Why don't'cha come on in and see if anything catches your eye."

Before Lexie could find the words too protest, Rhoda was already on the sidewalk, marching towards the door. Lexie had to jog just to keep up.

"Dolly!" Rhoda hollered as she entered the dress shop, dragging Lexie behind her. A short, full figured woman with cropped hair and coke bottle glasses materialized from the back followed by a sweet looking young girl around Lexie's age.

"Hey Rhoda, what can I do you for?" The short woman asked.

"Lexie? Miss Dolly Wertz. Best seamstress this side of Topeka." Rhoda introduced them.

Dolly pumped Lexie's hand up and down with charmless enthusiasm.

"This the girl?" She asked in a voice that made Lexie wonder if she ever flew fighter jets for the Blue Angels.

Rhoda nodded. "Yep, wedding's set for Sunday so you'll need to work fast."

"Hell I've made more in less." Dolly puffed out her chest. "Loraine, get her measurements." She ordered as she started rapidly moving a pencil over a sketch pad.

The young girl grabbed a tape measure and led a very confused Lexie over to a floor length mirror.

"Rhoda what's going on?" Lexie asked as Loraine went at her, rapidly taking her measurements and jotting them down in a little notebook

"You're getting married honey, and the last person to get married in this county without a wedding dress was Susanna Wallerton and that was only because it accidentally caught fire at her bachelorette party." Rhoda explained.

"I still say I could've fixed it for her." Dolly huffed.

"The night before the wedding?" Rhoda asked incredulously.

"I made 27 band uniforms from scratch in 19 hours, I coulda done that in a heartbeat." Dolly protested.

"Arms up please." Loraine instructed as the phone rang. Dolly grabbed it, listened for a moment, and then put her hand over the receiver.

"John and Maggie want to know what to wear to the wedding." Dolly called as Loraine stopped taking measurements and set about pulling down bolts of white silk.

"Tell 'em the attire is Sunday best." Rhoda instructed as she browsed through a rack of dresses. "Dolly how much is this one?" She asked, pulling one out.

Dolly hung up the phone. "$29.99. Ain't that a bit too small for you Rhoda?"

"Well I'm trying to lose a few pounds and I figured the right dress could help me do that." She explained.

"Wait, who are John and Maggie?" Lexie spoke up, desperately trying to make sense of the situation.

"Oh just some folks here in town." Rhoda waved her hand.

"How do they know?" Lexie asked confused.

"By now honey I'd say half the town knows, maybe a little more. People have had all morning to talk." At Lexie's terrified face Rhoda put a hand on her shoulder. "Weddings are a big deal around here, if you wanted to do it quietly you shoulda gone into the city. Besides, weddings are really a community thing and around here, even strangers are family."

Dolly tore a page out of her notebook. "This look good?" She waved the paper at Lexie.

Loraine handed her the page. Lexie gasped, Dolly had drawn an absolutely stunning dress. It was a simple yet elegant design, backless, with a long train and a beautifully jeweled midsection. It was the kind of dress she had always dreamed she'd have.

"It's perfect, but how…" Lexie trailed off.

"Because I'm an excellent plumber." Dolly glared at her before turning back to Rhoda. "Kelly know what she's doing with her hair?"

"She called shortly before we left and we decided on something along the lines of what Stephanie did for her wedding. Remember the bun with the curls and the flowers?"

"If she does I may have to alter the neckline just a bit. You mind if it shows a bit more cleavage?" She turned her head towards Lexie.

"That's fine." She practically whispered, still attempting to comprehend what was happening around her.

"Speaking of flowers hon." Rhoda spoke up. "You ok with red and white roses? Those are gonna be the easiest to get in."

Lexie was about to reply when the clock on the wall chimed 4:00.

"Oh my stars, how'd it ever get to be so late?" Rhoda grabbed Lexie by the wrist. "I gotta got this one back to her fiancée before they send out a search party. You all set here Dolly?"

"I'll have the dress done by Sunday, no problem." The woman nodded vigorously.

"Fantastic." Rhoda beamed and picked up the dress she'd been handling earlier. "Just put that and this dress on my tab."

"Don't see what for, you haven't paid your tab in 3 months." Dolly said gruffly but wrote it in her notebook all the same.

* * *

"Wait, what happened?" Mark asked. He and Lexie were lying on their bed at the motel. Lexie had just finished attempting to explain to him what had happened that day at the dress shop with varying degrees of success.

"I'm not sure, but I think the gist of it is that I'm getting a wedding dress."

"And the entire town's coming to the wedding?" Mark cocked an eyebrow.

"That's what it sounded like. Or at least a good portion of them." Lexie sighed. Mark chuckled. "What?"

"Oh nothing, except that when I was helping Rolland today he said he just happened to have a suit that he didn't wear anymore and looked like it might fit me. Thing is, when he brought it down it was still in the garment bag from the store with a receipt at the bottom dating earlier today."

They both laughed. "Was it at least a good suit?"

Mark shrugged. "I own better, but it's pretty good."

"It looks like we're getting a big wedding after all." She grinned. He could only grin back as he kissed her.

* * *

In the office Rhoda beamed as she hung up the phone with the florist. The day had gone absolutely perfectly. She had just one more thing to do before she could be satisfied. Looking at the form Mark filled out, she made her way to the newly filled in emergency contact space and dialed the number.

* * *

Derek Shepard reached for his phone.

"Hello?"

"Hello, I'm looking for Derek Shepherd?"

"This is he."

"Oh good. My name is Rhoda Gates, I own the Gates Motel in Xonia, Kansas. I'm calling because you and you're wife are the emergency contacts for Mark Sloan and Lexie Grey."

Derek gripped the phone tightly. Had something happened to Mark and Lexie? "Is everything ok?" He asked, trying to keep the worry out of his voice.

"Oh yes, everything's fine." Rhoda quickly assured him. "I was actually wondering, how fast you think you can get to Kansas?"

* * *

**I live in a town just like Xonia so I can say with absolute certainty, Rhoda and Dolly are real people (names changed of course). With luck these two will be married before Monday!**


	11. Chapter 11

**The lack of reviews is more than a little concerning, I hope y'all aren't getting bored with the story.**

* * *

"Hey you two." A voice called.

Mark and Lexie had wandered into town for breakfast. As they walked down the road, people they didn't know kept coming up to them and congratulating them on their upcoming nuptials and telling them they'd be at the wedding.

It was surreal.

When they'd finally found the local diner, the waitress said their food for the next two days was on the house as a wedding present from the staff. Mark was halfway through his French toast when the voice called. He looked up to find Russell, Jordan, and two little girls no older than 6 making their way towards them.

"Hey Russell, hey Jordan." Lexie smiled. "And who are these little ones?"

"I'm Molly and she's Jeannie." The girl on the left piped up. "I'm six and she's five."

"Those are some pretty awesome ages." Lexie gushed. "You know, I have a sister named Molly."

"Do you have a sister named Jeannie?" The other little girl asked quietly.

"No," Lexie shook her head. "My other sister's name is Meredith. But I did have a friend named Jeannie when I was your age, she was silly."

Mark smiled as he watched her, she would make an excellent mother someday. "What can we do for you?" He turned his attention to Russell and Jordan.

"Actually it's more what we can do for you." Jordan grinned with a playful light in his eyes.

Mark groaned. "Let me guess, Rhoda sent you?"

Russell nodded. "Bingo."

Mark looked at Lexie who met him with a resigned look. Whatever they had done to get the human cyclone that was Rhoda Gates started, it was pretty obvious it wasn't gonna stop any time soon.

"Ok, what do you two have in store for us today?" Lexie looked at the two men.

"Actually this one's just for Mark and me." Russell cleared his throat, looking at him nervously. He was far from unaware that Mark did not hold him in the highest regard. Thankfully Mark gave a little smirk and gave a little shake of his head. "I was hoping I could get you to take Mol's and Jeanniebeanie to the park with Jordan." He asked Lexie.

Lexie bobbed her head enthusiastically. "That sound like fun girls?" She smiled at them.

"Yeah!" They both chimed.

"Ok ok," she laughed. "Let me finish my breakfast and then we can go."

"What are we doing?" Mark asked.

"Oh no, Rhoda made me swear I couldn't tell you in front of Lexie." Russell smirked.

"If I find out you went to a strip club there will be hell to pay!" Lexie jabbed her finger at Mark.

* * *

"So what are we actually doing?" Mark asked Russell as the two of them left the diner. "It's not a strip club is it? Because I guarantee she will find out. I don't know how but she will."

Russell laughed. "I hear ya, Jordan's the same way. He would just know. It's not a strip club, I'm taking you to get rings." He stepped inside a small storefront.

The jewelry store was well lit and well kept, with two rows of glass cases holding all kinds of bracelets, earrings, watches, necklaces, and rings. Behind the antiquated cash registrar stood a tall man of about Marks age. His jet black hair was slicked back and his face sported a well groomed handlebar mustache.

"Ah my friend, my friend, come in!" He spoke with a thick Eastern European accent as he waved them over.

"Hey Isaac, how ya doin'?" Russell returned the wave as he sat down on a stool in front of the counter. Mark sat down next to him.

"I'm doing wonderful, it's hard not to do good on such a beautiful day like today." He motioned to the bright day outside. "Back in the old country, everything was gray. The sky, the trees, the people, all gray. But now I come here and it's all so bright and beautiful."

He sighed happily. "What can I do for you today? You're little girls necklaces aren't supposed to be done till Monday."

"It's not for me today." Russell shook his head. "Isaac, this is Dr Mark Sloan."

Mark stuck out his hand which Isaac gladly took.

"This is the man to be married?" Isaac looked him up and down.

"Yes sir." Mark nodded.

"So he needs wedding rings?"

"And an engagement ring." Russell clarified.

Isaac nodded and walked over to a locked cabinet on the wall. He unlocked it and pulled out two trays of rings of varying sizes. "The ones on this tray are antiques, found by me on my many trips to the old country." He said, raising the tray in his left hand slightly. "And these are the newer ones."

He set both trays down for Mark to look through. Mark's eyes were caught by a ring in the older tray. It was a flawless pear cut diamond mounted on a burnished gold band with interact designs engraved on it and two small pale green emeralds mounted on the sides. Mark held it up, admiring how it caught the light.

"Ahh, I picked that one up in a small shop in Manhattan when I first came to this country." Isaac took the ring. "It has a very beautiful story attached to it. Legend says that a young man sold everything he owned to buy this ring for his beloved, save for two tickets on the boat to America. Once he had gotten her on the boat, he got down on one knee and proposed." Isaacs's eyes twinkled. "It was the beginning of a new journey all around. For the young man and woman, and also for me. That's why I call it the Ring of New Beginnings. You like?"

Mark took the ring and turned it over in his hands. It was perfect.

"How much?" He finally asked.

"It's a very old ring, but it's very special to me, you understand, so the price may be more than if you picked a different ring." Isaac cautioned.

"I don't care, it's perfect." Mark said firmly.

Isaac smiled, he knew there was a reason he'd not sold the ring for all these years. "Two thousand nine hundred dollars, credit cards accepted." He winked.

Mark smiled and pulled out his Visa.

* * *

"Mark what are we doing out here?" Lexie got out of the little red car. Mark had driven her far outside the town to a bluff overlooking all of Xonia. From all the way up here, you could see the lights of ever building in town, some still on, but for the most part it was just blackness. Lexie was sure that in the daylight the view would be breathtaking. At the top of the hill was a large sycamore tree with a swing tied to one of the stronger branches. It was like a picture from a storybook.

"We're getting married tomorrow Lex, and I wanted to spend tonight somewhere where I was sure nobody would bother us." He smiled and led her over to the swing. He sat on the swing and motioned to his lap. "Here, I wanna show you something."

He held out his hand. Lexie took it and allowed herself to be pulled onto his lap. He nibbled on her ear, making her laugh. "If this is what you wanted to show me, I'm sorry to say I you're a little late." She smirked.

"Look up." He whispered in her ear.

Lexie looked up and gasped. All across the sky were billions and billions of tiny diamonds. Stretching from horizon to horizon, a countless blanket of stars. Logically she knew that all stars were were giant gaseous clouds, burning millions of light years away. But that wasn't really a beautiful thought and right now, the stars were some of the most beautiful things she'd ever seen.

"Oh Mark!" She put her hand over her mouth. "It's amazing. I don't think I've ever seen this many stars in my life!"

Mark chuckled and removed her hand from her mouth. He lifted their hands to the sky.

"You see there?" He asked. She nodded. "That's Aquarius, and there's Pegasus, and Sagittarius."

With each new constellation Mark moved their hands, pointing to each star.

"And that one there, that's..."

"The Big Dipper!" Lexie squealed.

Mark chuckled. "Here, hop up a second."

She did. He moved around behind the swing and patted its seat. Lexie chuckled slightly and rolled her eyes but sat down just the same.

"Hold on." He whispered and with one big push, set the swing in motion.

Lexie laughed gayly as she rose higher and higher, shutting her eyes at the top.

"Come on Lex, open your eyes. I'm right here, I promise I will never let you fall again." Mark told her.

With a cry something between fear and excitement she opened her eyes.'

"Oh god Mark! Mark I'm flying!" She cried, her voice full of joy.

Mark laughed as he watched her. For the past few months he'd watched her go through the motions, the spark and life in her eyes a distant memory. But here on this hill, in this little town, on this crystal clear night, for the first time in months, he saw it. He saw the life come back, the life that he'd fallen in hopeless love with. Maybe it wouldn't last until they got back to Seattle, or even back to the motel, but for right now she was back and for now that was enough.

With a tears of joy streaming down her face, Lexie slowed the swing until she came to a complete stop. Mark came around and knelt down in front of her.

"Lexie Grey, will you marry me tomorrow in front of possibly the entire town of Xonia, Kansas?" He pulled out the antique ring.

"Yes, yes Mark!" She cried and threw her arms around his neck.

The crash had ruined everything. It had turned her life every which way but right side up. But it was moments like this that made it all worth it.

* * *

**I noticed a dreadful lack of good Slexie scenes in the last chapter or two so hopefully I made up for it here. Please review, it makes me feel like someone's actually reading this.**


	12. Chapter 12

**Your feedback has been amazing, thank you so much! Got the TV fixed so the first thing I did was watch the new Grey's. AGPTHSIRTGAAAAAA! MARRIED, JAPRIL GOT MARRIED! While we all know Shonda is going to do something evil in the future, let's just revel in it for today. On the other hand, pleeeeeeeeeeeeeeeease Shonda don't break up Jolex, I'm begging you here.**

* * *

The bell in the church steeple rang out the hour. The sky was a brilliant blue with large, puffy white clouds floated lazily in the sky providing random bits of shade. A festive atmosphere reigned as people from the town gathered inside. The hundred year old pews were polished to an almost blinding sheen. Strands of woven red and white roses hung everywhere interspersed with white ribbon, while tall white candles tied with red bows sat upon tall sliver sticks at the end of each row. Pastor Michelson greeted each guest with a firm handshake and a warm smile at the huge oak doors which had been flung open, allowing a cooling breeze to pass through the church.

In a little room tucked away off to the side, Lexie was busy fussing with her dress.

"Oh honey stop that." Rhoda moved Lexie's hands back from the skirt. "You're to tense, it's not good for a bride to be tense on her wedding day."

"I was and look how that turned out." Dolly humphed. Rhoda rolled her eyes. Loraine emerged from the bathroom, holding a pair of pastel blue shoes.

"Will these do Rhoda?" Her quiet voice asked.

"Oh honey they're perfect." Rhoda took the shoes. "Now we've got something blue and something borrowed. Good thing you and Loraine have the same size feet."

Loraine and Rhoda both wore deep crimson floor length gowns, made by Dolly of course. It had sort of been a given that Rhoda would be a bridesmaid, without her there wouldn't even be a wedding, and Loraine had been volunteered by Dolly but accepted her duties with considerable aplomb.

Lexie took a deep breath as she slipped into the shoes and turned to face the mirror. Her eyes filled with tears at the sight of herself in the wedding dress. Rhoda came up and put a hand on her shoulder.

"Don't cry hon, your mascara will run." She pulled a lace handkerchief out of her purse and gently dabbed Lexie's eyes.

"I just wish my family could be here." She sniffed.

The door to the bathroom flew open. "Rhoda where'd I put my bouquet?" Meredith asked.

With a shocked cry Lexie spun around. "Meredith?" She sputtered in complete disbelief.

"Do you realize just how rude it is to have a huge wedding like this and not think to tell us?" Meredith grinned and pulled her younger sister into a hug.

"What are you...how are you...how did you..." Lexie tried to complete her questions.

"Well Rhoda here called Derek two days ago and filled us in on what was happening so we came right down. I didn't think it would have been appropriate for the maid of honor to not show up." Meredith smiled.

Lexie just shook her head and tried hard not to start crying, she just pulled Mer into another hug.

* * *

Across the hall, Mark was giving himself the once over in the mirror. Damn he cleaned up good. Russell and Rolland had already gone to take their places as groomsmen, leaving Mark to think.

When he'd first come to Seattle, he'd been perfectly content with staying single. He'd never even thought of marriage as a viable option. But so much had happened sense then. He'd met the woman of his dreams, found a daughter and grandson he didn't know existed, had another daughter that he loved more than anything else in the world, and come within a hare's breath of losing his soul mate. But as he looked back at the road he'd traveled and looked at the figure looking back at him in the mirror, he knew it had all been worth it. He was here, with her, in a church, ready to be married. Admittedly he never pictured the church would be in Kansas and the wedding would've come together in two days, but he was happy just the same.

The sound of a door opening broke him from his thoughts.

"You ready for this man?" Derek asked as he clapped Mark on the back.

"What the hell are you doing here?" Mark exclaimed as he pulled his best friend into a bear hug.

"What you think I'd let you do all this by yourself?" Derek chuckled. "Meredith's across the hall with Lexie, you weren't wondering what that shriek was a few moments ago?"

Mark smiled. "I just still can't believe you're here Shep, how'd you find out about this?"

"Oh you're landlady called us. Didn't say much, just that you two were getting married and that we should get down here before 2 PM Sunday."

Mark made a mental note to pay Rhoda 110% of the bill, 30% off be damned.

"Oh hey, I have one more surprise." Derek held up a finger as he moved towards the door. He opened it to reveal Sofia dressed in a pink dress with a basket if rose petals. "Meet you're new flower girl."

"Daddy!" Sofia screamed with delight as she rushed towards him. Mark scooped her up in his arms and swung her around, he'd missed his little girl.

"Sofibear!" He tickled her tummy to a chorus of giggles from the toddler. "Where are your mommies?"

"Callie and Arizona are back in Seattle prepping for the trial on Tuesday. Callie did tell me to tell you she's incredibly pissed at you for running off and getting married but that she's also incredibly proud." Derek smiled.

A quick knock on the door was followed by Rhoda poking her head in. "Sorry to interrupt the family reunion, but what do you say we get this show on the road?"

Somewhat reluctantly, Mark turned his daughter over to his best friend before following Rhoda to his rightful place at the altar.

* * *

Her hands were shaking from excitement, or nerves, probably nerves, but also excitement. This day was a long time coming but it was still a little terrifying. Lexie took a deep breath, this was it.

She felt a tap on her shoulder. She turned to find Derek standing there, looking quite dashing in his black tuxedo.

"Derek, you're here!" Lexie hugged him. "I mean, it makes sense you're here because Mer is here and you and her are married and married people tend to travel together so it's logical that you would be here when..."

Derek raised his hand like a traffic cop. "I'm here Lexie, we've established that."

"Sorry." She blushed. "I'm just a little nervous."

"Don't be, he loves you and you love him. It's all good Lexie." Derek smiled. "Actually I came back here to ask you a question."

He cleared his throat. "I know you're dad's not here today, and I know that he'd give anything to be here. But in light of his absence, I was wondering if I may have the honor of playing big brother and walk you down the aisle?"

Lexie beamed. "I wouldn't have it any other way."

* * *

First came Meredith, Rhoda, and Loraine, each in matching red dresses with red and white rose bouquets. Then came Sofia, tottering down the aisle, throwing handfuls of petals as she went. The organist started to play and the entire church stood up.

The doors opened to reveal Lexie on Derek's arm, looking like an angel in her wedding dress, her blue shoes poking out as she walked and the garnet necklace shining round her neck.

She was so beautiful, Mark was afraid that he might pass out. But as he saw her beautiful smile coming up the aisle, he broke out into an enormous smile of his own.

Here it was, it was actually happening.

Lexie looked at Mark, his eyes were a blaze of twinkling light.

The pastor probably said something beautiful. It was probably very touching and romantic and very well spoken. But neither Mark nor Lexie heard a word if it.

"I do." He gulped.

"I do." She whispered.

"I now pronounce you husband and wife. You may kiss the bride."

To the thunderous applause of the crowd of family members and happy strangers, Mark pulled Lexie in to what surely must have been one of the top 5 longest dip kisses in history. Once up righted, Lexie took Marks hand and, side by side, walked back down the aisle as man and wife.

* * *

The reception was held on the lawn in back of the church with food brought by almost everybody in attendance. The little tables bent under the weight of casseroles, cobblers, at least three hams, not to mention the five tier wedding cake at the far end. A live band had set up at one end of an improvised dance floor while another table of wedding gifts sat at the other end. Everything spoke of the quintessential small town summer wedding.

As Mark whirled her around the dance floor Lexie let out a chorus of giggles. Husband and wife, wife and husband, her and Mark, it all sounded right. Lexie looked over her shoulder to see her sister and brother-in-law watching with proud faces and an adorable Sofia bouncing up and down on Meredith's lap. She couldn't have imagined this day going more perfectly.

Mark leaned close and moved his mouth to her ear. "So Mrs Sloan, I like the sound of that, Mrs Sloan." She laughed and kissed him. "Mrs Sloan, where to next on this crazy adventure?"

"You sure you're not getting tired of it?" Lexie looked at him.

"As long as I'm with you, I don't care where I am." Mark told her in earnest. "Besides, you can't get rid of me now even if you want to."

"I don't want to." Lexie said softly. She rested her head on his shoulder and breathed in his cologne. "I'm infected remember?"

Mark smiled and closed his eyes, nestling his head in the nape of her neck. "I remember, I am too."

* * *

**At least one wedding managed to go off without a hitch in the Grey's Universe this week. Review please!**


	13. Chapter 13

**Sorry I didn't update yesterday or Thursday but a nasty combination of writers block and being at school everyday this week till 10 made it difficult to do so. Show week, gotta love it. So I was going back over the chapters and I have a suggestion for those of you who are up for it, try listening to these songs as you read the corresponding chapter. Yes I love me some country music, it helps me wright.**

**Chapter 1- _Little Miss by Sugarland_**

**Chapter 3- _Heads Carolina, Tails California by Jo Dee Messina_**

**Chapter 7- _Passenger Seat by SHeDAISY_**

**Chapter 8 (First Part)- _Beer Money by Kip Moore_**

**Chapter 8 (Last Part)- _Incredible Machine (Interlude) by Sugarland_**

**Chapter 12- _I Do by Paul Brandt_**

**Chapter 13- _Carolina by Parmalee_**

**These are simply my suggestions. If you think a different song would work or you've got a suggestion for a fit for another chapter, PM me and I'll give it a listen.**

* * *

Lexie's phone buzzed on the table beside the bed. In the days after the wedding, the two of them had made their way to Chicago where Mark decided that enough was enough. He was going to treat her the way she should be treated and that meant a top floor suit at the Palmer House, box seats at the theater, and only the finest restaurants. He was going to give her the best week of her life.

At least, he was going to. That resolve had lasted until they'd gotten into the bedroom and hadn't been fully clothed in days, coming out only to pick up the trays from room service. Her phone buzzed again. She checked to see 2 missed calls from Derek Shepherd.

"Leave it." Mark growled as he rolled on top of her, mashing their lips together.

"But what if it's important?" She halfheartedly protested.

"If it's important he'll call back." Mark started sucking on her collar none as his hands moved down to her nether regions. She shuddered under his incredibly skillful fingers. How the hell had she been able to hold out for as long as she did? She was almost at her climax when Marks phone rang with Derek's preprogrammed ringtone.

"Dammit, now that sounds important." Mark swore under his breath as he removed his hands, much to Lexie's protest. He rolled off of her and reached for his phone.

"Hey."

"Hey Mark." Derek's voice sounded over the phone. "Lexie there with you?"

"Yeah, she's right here. What's going on Shep?" Mark asked, a note of concern creeping into his voice.

"Can you put the phone on speaker, you both need to hear this."

Mark pushed a button and set the phone on the pillow between them. "Go ahead man."

Derek took a deep breath. "We just got out of the hearing."

"And?" Mark looked at the phone.

"And we won." Derek said slowly. "The judge is awarding us 15 million dollars."

Mark did some quick arithmetic in his head. 15 million dollars split 6 ways was 2.5 million each, not a small sum by any means.

"Each." Came Derek's voice.

Marks head shot up. Lexie looked as though her eyes might pop out of her head. 2.5 million dollars was one thing, but 15 million dollars each was something else entirely. It was life changing money. Mark looked at Lexie, Lexie looked at Mark. Both were waiting for the other to say something. Thankfully Derek did.

"Hello? You both still there?" Came the voice from the phone.

"Yeah, yeah we're still here." Lexie stammered.

"The judge will need your signatures in order to transfer the funds, or you could let Meredith and I take your shares and hold them until you both come back." Derek told them.

"Ok, thanks man." Mark said, still a little shell shocked. He hung up and both he and Lexie laid back against the pillows.

"15 million dollars." She drew out each word, trying to make them feel more real. "We each have 15 million dollars. What do you do with that kind of money?"

"We could buy a house." Mark suggested.

"I have a house."

"You have a room at Meredith's. Now that you and I are married we need our own space." Mark looked at her.

"It's actually Alex's now. Meredith sold it to him when they moved into the dream house." She informed him. "What about the apartment?"

Mark shook his head. "Too many bad memories there. I think we should use some of that money to buy our dream house for you, me, and those three kids." He smirked.

Lexie smiled. "What a wedding present." She joked.

Mark chuckled and kissed her. "We deserve it, we deserve something like this."

"I know, I know." Lexie sighed. "It's just hard to wrap my head around the whole thing."

"So let's not try to. Currently that's back in Seattle, and we're defiantly not in Seattle." He reasoned.

"No, we're not." She slowly spoke. "You think we can do that?"

"We owe it to ourselves to try. Maybe we should get out, actually do something other than what we've been doing." Mark suggested.

"Yeah?" She smiled and cocked an eyebrow.

"Well if you keep looking at me like that we won't." He smiled. She grinned and kissed him.

* * *

From his deck chair, Mark looked at her standing at the railing of the cabin cruiser he'd hired to take them on a tour of the city. The weather was warm and sunny, the cool breeze made her hair dance around her face and ruffled the light blue sundress she wore. She was laughing, the most wonderful sound Mark had ever heard, as she tried to hold her wide brim hat on her head with one hand and keep her dress down with the other. He smirked as she danced around the deck, barefoot, to some old forgotten song that only she could hear.

He'd never expected to have fun on this trip, originally he was going because he didn't want to let her go. But as the days turned to weeks and the weeks turned to months, he began to let go and enjoy himself. It was a little weird living out of a suitcase again, he hadn't done that since he first came to Seattle. It sort of reminded him of a song lyric he'd picked up, 'pictures, dishes, and socks, it's our whole life down to one box'. He couldn't tell you what song it was from but it seemed oddly appropriate. But she'd made it fun, or at least, as fun as it could be.

He missed surgery, a lot, and he'd be lying if he said he hadn't thought about it frequently, especially when Derek would call him about an especially cool case or Jackson would call him for advice on a patient. Mark was glad that his protégé had turned down Tulane to stay in Seattle, but it annoyed him sometimes just what he was missing out on. But then he'd look at her and it'd be all worth it again.

That little red car had become a better therapist then his 400 dollar an hour shrink ever had. The small space and long distances forced them to talk and not be able to bury the problems in sex. From Sloan to Sofia, Addison to Julia, they talked through every problem they had that had caused their relationship to fall apart. The downside to that was the hundreds of miles of harsh silence from both parties that inevitably would result, but those never lasted. No one was running, never again.

As one of the crew members brought out a glass of wine for her and a beer for him, Lexie moved her hand just so that her ring caught the sunlight. Mark ran his thumb over the smooth gold band on his ring finger. Before the crash he'd honestly thought that'd he'd end up with Julia. Julia who'd had a stable career, Julia who was only a few years younger than he was, Julia who'd immediately taken to Sofia as though she was her own, Julia who'd wanted children and marriage and everything he'd wanted. Julia who had, on paper, been the ideal girlfriend.

But she was also Julia who hadn't broken his penis, Julia who hadn't asked him to teach her, Julia who hadn't surprised him and made him just about loose his mind every time he even thought about her with another man. Julia who wasn't Lexie.

God what was it about Grey girls that made Carolyn Shepherds boys, biological or not, go absolutely wild?

He sipped his beer and laughed as Lexie shrieked when she boat hit a larger wave, throwing up spray onto the deck. Hearing his laughter, she spun around to look at him and gave a little bow. They both laughed as she bounded over to the chair next to him and sat down, entwining their fingers. Mark closed his eyes, to stay like this forever was his idea of heaven. The last thing he heard before he drifted off to sleep was the sound of her laugh ringing out across the deck, and that was just the way he wanted it.

* * *

**I figured it was high time we looked at Mark's thoughts about the whole road trip thing. Reviews are love, favorites are pretty nice, and PM's are enjoyed.**


	14. Chapter 14

**FINALLY! I don't know what it was but this chapter just would not come out! But it finally did and so I'm ignoring my normal updating timeline to give it to you. Anyone else agree with Alex that the board is being something of a hypocrite? I mean they have a good point but I just think this group of interns needs thicker skin. Let's be honest here, Stephanie- I do feel bad for you but how the hell did you not see this one coming? Put on some big girl panties and get over it. Leah- Fruit basket, you slept with your married (albeit separated) attending and now you're going off the reservation because she's trying to make it work with her wife? Talk to Mer, she's done this before. Shane- I just hate Shane all around. Right now Jo and Ben are the two interns not getting on my nerves.**

* * *

In Missouri they'd cruised down the Mississippi River on a fully restored Civil War era side wheel steamboat, period costumes included. About half way into the voyage they'd snuck off into an unused state room and Lexie made the South rise again (and again and again) with her sweet southern bell accent and a sexy striptease.

Arkansas had seen them take a steam bath in Hot Springs that had left Lexie's skin as smooth as silk, a feature Mark found totally irresistible.

They'd done imitations of the paintings they saw in the Philbrook Museum of Art and were almost thrown out when a guard nearly caught Mark fingering her in the museums gardens in Tulsa, Oklahoma.

Lexie had surprised him by pulling a few strings with an old med school professor who'd allowed them both to perform a surgery on a woman having a double mastectomy to avoid her 75% risk of breast cancer at the Houston Methodist Hospital in Texas. It felt great for both of them to get back into the OR after such a long hiatus.

A casino in Shreveport had taken Mark for a 1500 dollar ride while Lexie cleaned up at blackjack. They'd had sex on the hotel room floor on top her substantial winnings, an experience Mark had insisted they would repeat when they made their way to Vegas, a suggestion Lexie wholeheartedly agreed with.

But in Vicksburg, Mississippi everything changed.

* * *

I'm gonna run in and grab a snack, you want anything?" Lexie asked as she walked towards the little gas station convenience store.

Mark leaned against the car as the gas pumped into the tank. "Bag of chips?"

Lexie nodded and turned to go inside.

"And something sweet!" Mark called after her. Lexie smiled and rolled her eyes but nodded all the same.

He shoved his hands in his pockets and waited up against the car for what felt like hours, he didn't like being away from her for even a second. What was taking her so long? He heard the hose click, signifying the tank was full. He replaced the hose and looked back at the door. Still nothing. He frowned slightly before locking the car and going inside to look for her. He walked into the dingy little shop and began scanning the rows with no success. The place was the size of a shoebox, how many places could she hide?

Finally on the last aisle he found her with two bags of chips in her hands, her face the picture of concentration. With a slight laugh he walked up to her.

"Mrs Sloan, what are you doing? You've been in here for hours." He joked.

"I can't decide what kind of chips I feel like getting." She held up the chips in her left hand. "One this side we have barbeque, sweet and smoky barbeque. But on this side we have sour cream and onion with its delicious and addictive flavors." She looked up at the display rack. "Or do I want something else entirely?"

Mark smirked as he moved behind her, pressing himself close to her, and wrapped his arms around her so he was holding the chips. "I think you should get both." He whispered huskily into her ear.

"Damn you can make just about anything sound sexy can't you?" She said under her breath and grabbed the bags from him. "One of my many talents." Mark chuckled and grabbed a soda out of the cooler before hurrying to join her at the counter.

"You know what else is a talent of mine?" He gave her a seductive smile as they walked out of the store, bags of goodies in hand. "Driving with only my left hand." He smirked as her cheeks grew red.

They were almost to the car when Lexie suddenly stopped. "Crap, I think I left my purse in the store. Give me a second"

Mark nodded. "Come back to me?"

"Always." She gave him a quick kiss before dashing back into the store.

* * *

Thankfully her purse was still sitting there on the counter. She quickly rummaged through it. Credit cards? Check. Phone? Check. Camera? Check. Emergency candy bar? Check. 42 dollars and 78 cents cash? Check. Lexie breathed a sigh of relief, everything looked like it was there. Lexie blew out her cheeks and gave a quick thanks to the store clerk before she started towards the door. Before she got to the door she heard what sounded like an explosion and the squeal of tires.

Her head jerked up to the window just in time to see a large truck come flying off the road missing its right front wheel. Lexie watched in horror at the truck toppled onto its side and slid wildly towards the little red Mercedes where Mark was currently waiting for her. She saw him with his headphones in, oblivious to the world as he moved to open the driver's side door. She couldn't tear her eyes away and with a scream, watched the truck slam into the car and gas pumps at 55 mph and burst into flame. The impact barely seemed to slow the truck down and it careened on its side for several hundred more feet, dragging the mangled wreckage of the little car along with it.

Lexie's whole world stopped.

* * *

She couldn't stop screaming. From the relative safety of the store she saw the burning wreckage of the two cars. It looked like a war zone outside the store, like World War 3 had come to the little Mississippi gas station.

The clerk hit the gas cutoff switch and was frantically dialing 911 on the store telephone. Lexie was only vaguely aware of what she was doing. Her purse lay on the ground where she'd dropped it and she bolted out the door. She herd the clerk scream something ether at her or the telephone but she just kept going. She had to find Mark.

She screamed his name as flames completely engulfed the burning wreckage. She lunged forward, only to find herself being held back by the clerk. The kept screaming and sobbing, praying this was only a dream. But this was no dream, it was real. She had just watched the unthinkable.

She felt sick, like she was going to pass out. This must have been what Mark felt when he watched her die under the plane. She just kept screaming and screaming at the now completely engulfed wreckage. Dropping to her knees she sobbed violently, this couldn't be then end. They had come so far, she was supposed to come back to him.

This couldn't be the end.

* * *

**And I promise it's not the end of the story, but it is where I'm going to leave you. Review for me, I see a review pop up in my inbox and I immediately start writing.**


	15. Chapter 15

**Hello all. Thank you for the marvelous feedback. I'm a little leery of how this chapter turned out but I do know where it's going so just bear with me please. I'm thinking of writing a new Grey's story where Mer and Mark are siblings, I really like that dynamic from what I've read. On the other hand, my friends got me hooked on NCIS LA this weekend and now I'm completely in love with Densi and am debating writing a story on them. Decisions, decisions! Anyway, just a few quick answers.**

_**LexieMcSteamy **_**& _deadpanval_- I wish I was Shonda, that means I would be in complete control of Shondaland!**

_**Darley1101**_**- I consider you a fantastic reviewer considering the fact you reviewed three chapters in 20 minutes. I hope you like where the story is going so far. On another note, your comment about how for a moment it felt like the old Grey's made my week!**

_**nuotvang**_**- I am not at all opposed to Japril at all, maybe a little miffed at them from time to time put not at all opposed. Maybe I'll figure something like that out, we'll see what happens.**

_**Smarty4919**_**- They will eventually but then what would be the point of this story?**

**That cover everyone? I hope so, please fasten your seatbelts and make sure your tray tables and belongings are fully stowed. Thank you for flying _Hermies818_.**

* * *

As she sobbed on the ground, she missed the crunch of the footsteps on the gravel behind her.

"Lex?" Came a shell shocked, slightly bewildered voice. Her head whipped around.

His leather jacket was torn and singed and his face had a trickle of blood running down it from where his head had collided with the concrete base of where the gas pumps once stood. But even through her tears she could tell it was him.

Mark.

"What are…How did…" Lexie tried but couldn't form the words to finish her sentences.

"I dropped the bag." He motioned behind him to the goodies they bought spilling onto the ground. The soda had ruptured, leaking cola into the gravel and one of the bags of chips was on fire. "As I was getting into the car I dropped the bag. I bent down to pick it up and…" His voice trailed off. He made a confused shrugging motion with his hands.

She busted out in a fresh batch of sobs as she raced into his arms. She gripped him as tightly as she possibly could and buried her face in his chest as he buried his in her neck. "You're ok." She blubbered as the fire trucks and ambulance showed up. "You're ok."

He made a soft shushing noise and stroked her hair. "I'm ok Lex, I'm ok." She nodded as they both turned to watch the firefighters cover the inferno in foam. It wasn't until she saw one of the firefighters shake his head to another firefighter that she gave a thought to the driver of the truck. There was no possible way anyone could've survived a crash like that.

Lexie swallowed hard, she hadn't even thought to try and help him. She was too wrapped up in thinking Mark was dead to even stop to think about the occupants in the truck. Mark must've been thinking the same things she was because without a word he turned her away from the crash site and lead her over to the waiting EMT's, all the while not letting ether of them look back.

* * *

"We don't have anything to wear." She noted as she sat next to him on the back of the ambulance. His scorched jacket lay across her lap and he had a bandage across the cut on his forehead. "No shirts, no shoes, nothing. All we have are the shirts on our backs and that's it."

He nodded. "We're gonna have to find a mall."

"I think I saw one back in Vicksburg." She offered. He nodded but his eyes were far away. She knew she had to tell him.

"I thought," she began. "I thought I knew, or at least had an understanding of what you felt in the woods when I," Her voice caught. 'When I died. But I didn't know at all." She looked at him. "I didn't know what you felt until I saw that pile of flaming debris and I thought that you were gone." She gripped his hand tightly. "I know now, and I'm so…"

"Do not say you're sorry." He cut her off. His steely blue eyes bored into her. "You have nothing to be sorry for. _I'm_ the one who should be sorry. When I found out that you were alive and that you and I were going to be ok I swore to myself that you would never have to know what that felt like. I never wanted you to feel pain like that." He looked down at his hands which were clutched in his lap. "When the crash knocked me down and I felt the fireball above me," he swallowed. "I thought for a moment I was back in the forest, I thought we were back there and in that moment all I could think of was you under the plane and, for just that brief moment, I thought you were dead Lex. I have never been so terrified in my entire life." He looked back at her.

Lexie leaned her head on his shoulder. "None of that matters anymore Mark, what matters is that we are survivors. It's what we do, we survive everything." She smiled and breathed in his sent. He brought his arm around her and pulled her tight. He looked back at the smoldering hunk of twisted steel and shuddered slightly, but then he looked at her and smiled. He was alright, she was alright, everything was alright.

They were survivors after all.

* * *

"How is it possible the nicest store in this mall is a Macy's?" Mark whined as he browsed through a rack of shirts. "Couldn't they at least have something like a Saks or a Neman Marcus?"

"Oh hush up you big baby." Lexie chided at she hit him in the chest with the back of her hand. "Tell you what, when we get to Tennessee, _you_ can go to the mall and see if they have anything better while _I_ get a Swedish massage at the hotel spa."

"Lex if you want a massage they do have dressing rooms here." Mark's eyes twinkled and she laughed.

"Down boy, let's just focus on the clothes for now." She giggled as she moved to search a different rack.

"Excellent choice, you know I saw a Victoria Secret around here somewhere. What say you and I go shopping for some new panties? That is unless you want to just go commando which is very, very sexy Lexie." He laughed as he saw her blush. He moved came up behind her and wrapped his arms around her waist as he set his head on top of hers. She smiled and started to hum softly as they slowly swayed back and forth. He grinned as she pushed her ass into his crotch.

"Lexie." He warned but felt himself rise to attention.

She hummed a little louder as her left hand drifted downwards until it was stroking his thigh. "Lex." He growled as he gripped her hips tightly.

"You think the dressing rooms are empty?" She smiled coyly.

"Only one way to find out." He matched her smile and walked, somewhat uncomfortably, towards the dressing room with Lexie following close behind.

* * *

**So maybe I jumped the shark just a little bit, oh well _I'm not Shonda_. In all honesty this is more of a filler chapter. I needed a good way to get rid of the car to line up a story thread I have planned for these two. Shameless review plug goes here.**


	16. Chapter 16

**You ever stop to think that you have no idea who's writing these stories? For all you know I could be Patrick Dempsey, or Ellen Pompeo, or Eric Dane, or Sandra Oh. I could even be Shonda Rhimes. (I'm not, unfortunately, but it's on my letter to Santa.)**

* * *

"You look ridiculous in that thing." Lexie smacking him on the shoulder as they walked towards their Memphis hotel, having spent their last day in Tennessee at Graceland where Mark decided that it was absolutely imperative that he purchase an oversized, plastic head piece molded to look like Elvis's signature hairdo.

It was also, apparently, imperative that he wear it all the way back to the hotel.

"Come on Lex, it looks good on me." Mark smirked.

"Uh uh." Lexie shook her head. "I much prefer the salt and pepper look on you. Much sexier." She grinned.

"That's $24.99 I guess I'll never get back." He sighed as she removed the headpiece. "Seriously how can they charge so much for something plastic?"

"Says the man who charges $5000 per boob, per cup for a boob job." Lexie pointed out.

"Ok, A) that's silicon, not plastic. Very different substance." Mark attempted to defend himself. Lexie rolled her eyes and chuckled. "And B) that's a fair price for a double board certified, world renowned, celebrity go to plastic surgeon."

"Per boob, per cup. That's all I'm saying." She shrugged. "We should probably get to the bus station early tomorrow."

"Sure thing." He kissed her temple. "I guess you got your bus ride after all."

"I guess I did." She giggled. He laughed slightly before growing pensive. He'd managed to keep up a good front for the past week since Vicksburg but underneath it all the same thought was picking away at his brain. He'd debated actually broaching the subject to her, but he knew now that she was planning to hit the road again he needed to actually say it. Tonight.

* * *

"You've been awful quiet since we left Graceland Mark. What's on your mind?" Lexie asked once they were back inside the hotel suite.

Mark sighed and threw the bag on the bed. "I'm tired Lex."

"Well it's a good thing we came back to the hotel then."

"No Lex." He turned to face her. "I'm tired of this. Of going from place to place, of living out of a suitcase. I just want to go home."

Lexie was stunned. It was unbelievable, it was unprecedented, and it wasn't completely out of left field but still!

"I'm sorry you're tired Mark but you really don't get a day in this. You chose to come with me."

"I came with you because I was worried about you and because I love you. I wanted you to know you weren't alone. But I just can't sit by and watch my wife grasping at straws!" His voice rose.

"I still have nightmares Mark. I still wake up panicking and drenched in sweat and you have to calm me down." She reminded him. "This trip is fixing me!"

"This trip is hurting you!" He protested. "Maybe you were better a week ago but now you don't sleep, you barely eat, Vicksburg changed things!"

"Then we keep going! We keep going until I'm fixed." She shouted.

"I can't let you keep going!" He was shouting now.

"Why can't you accept that I need to fix this?" She cried.

"Because I don't know if you're ever going to be fixed!" He roared. As soon as the words were out of his mouth he wished he could take them back. He wished he could just suck those words right back down his throat. "Lex." He tried.

"Don't." Her features were hard and icy. It didn't matter if he was pissed, or tired, or didn't mean what he said, that was way out of line.

"I didn't mean that Lex." He pleaded.

"You don't mean a lot of things do you Mark?" She was proud of herself for being able to keep her voice perfectly level when at this moment she'd have loved nothing better that to tear him a new one, literally and figuratively. Without another word she turned on her heal, grabbed her purse off the bed, and walked out of the room to the sound of Mark calling after her and a terrible sense of déjà vu in her stomach.

* * *

She didn't go back to the hotel that night, instead using her credit card to check into a Motel 6. The next morning she called the concierge at his hotel and asked him to relay a message to Mark to drop her luggage off at the Greyhound bus terminal at 9 AM.

"Screw him. Screw him and his goddamn double board certifications. Who the hell does he think he is? I'll do this without him, I didn't want him to come in the first place. If he wants to go home so bad, I'm not gonna stop him." She fumed. She waited for him at the station, not allowing herself to acknowledge the fact that he was still in the same clothes he wore yesterday or that it looked like he'd been out all night looking for her. She didn't care.

She especially didn't care that he followed her to the ticket counter with his own suitcase in his hand after she grabbed hers. Why would she care? She was apparently irreparably damaged, not worth the time to fix.

"One way to Lexington, Kentucky." She told the attendant.

"Traveling with anyone?"

"No, I'm doing this alone." She punched the word 'alone', making sure Mark herd her. The attendant ether didn't notice or didn't care and gave her the ticket. "Next."

Mark watched her go as he stepped up to the window. "One way to Lexington, Kentucky." He reiterated, grabbing the ticket from the uninterested attendant and racing off after her.

He sat down next to her in the waiting area.

"Aren't you going back to Seattle?" She spat, but Mark didn't care. It was the most she'd spoken to him since last night.

"We're married Lex, I'm not leaving you."

"Give it a rest Mark. We both know the institution of marriage doesn't mean a whole hell of a lot to you, especially the 'for better or worse' part, so why don't you just go back to Seattle already like you want to?" She turned back and focused intently on the magazine in her lap, determined not to let him see the tears in her eyes.

"Please don't run away again Lex." He pleaded.

"You ever notice that when I run away I'm running from something _you_ did?" She accused him.

Mark was struck dumb with no idea how to respond. That was a cheap shot, but a true one. That's probably why it hurt so much.

"You're running from your past Lex." He finally said.

"And you're running from me!"

"Bus 16 from New Orleans to Lexington now arriving." The loudspeaker crackled.

Lexie got up and stormed off towards the waiting bus with Mark following wordlessly behind her.

* * *

The bus was almost completely empty with only a handful of people scattered randomly throughout the bus and they were the only two getting on in Memphis.

Lexie made her way to the back of the bus, sitting next to a pretty teenaged girl in a flowery dress with a jacket covering what could've been a backpack on her lap, but Mark couldn't be sure. He sat across from the girls.

As the bus pulled out of the station, neither she nor Mark noticed the young man racing towards the space where the bus was parked, only to find he'd just missed it. But why would they? They didn't know him, he wasn't important.

At least, not yet.

* * *

**Trouble in paradise! I've got the next few chapters set up but I'm not sure when I'll have the time to post them. Review's are tiny nuggets of golden joy and inspiration!**


	17. Chapter 17

**I finally found a spare minute and what do I do? I update of course! Sometimes I wonder if anyone actually reads these beginnings. Oh well, just so long as you read the story. This one's a little bit shorter, if you can find the country song reference buried I here I commend you.**

* * *

As the bus continued on, Lexie tried hard not to look at Mark. Not to give him the slightest bit of satisfaction or relief and not to just breakdown all together. So instead she focused on her surroundings. She focused on the faded blue seats and the miles and miles of country passing out the window. She focused on the old magazines left in the seat back pocket and the worn, threadbare jacket on the lap of the girl next to her.

As she studied the jacket, she suddenly realized that it was absolutely freezing on the bus and yet the girl was choosing to keep her jacket firmly over whatever was on her lap. When she narrowed her eyes and looked a little more intently, she noticed that whatever it was, was too round to be a backpack. Suddenly the pieces fell into place. Teenaged girl, traveling long distances on a bus, no one with her, jacket attempting to hide a large, round object. Lexie's heart broke slightly, this girl was alone and pregnant, probably not wanted at home, heading somewhere she thought she'd be wanted. Wordlessly Lexie began digging around in the bag at her feet.

She could've sworn she packed them in the front pocket, had she already gone through them?

Ah ha! There they were, nestled behind her copy of Night Circus.

She pulled out two granola bars and held them out to the girl.

"Eat." She commanded. The girl looked at her like she had just lost her mind. "You need to eat, you've hardly moved since we left Memphis and my guess is you haven't eaten since well before that. You need to eat." She repeated, moving the granola bars closer to the girl.

The girl stared at the bars for a moment before she finally reached up to take them.

"Thanks." She whispered.

"It will get better." Lexie told her quietly.

"What?" The girl asked. Lexie have her a look in response. "Oh." The girl said and looked down.

"How far along are you?"

"Due any day now." The girl bit her lip.

"Then what are you doing on this bus?" Lexie pressed gently.

The girl looked like she might cry. "I'm going to my aunt in Kentucky. I can have the baby with her and go...and go..." She burst into sobs.

Lexie rubbed the girls back. "It's ok, you'll be ok." She attempted to console her. "Where's the father?"

The girl gave a strangled laugh. "Probably back in New Orleans. His parents practically drove me out of town and told me I couldn't come back until this _thing_ was dealt with." She burst out in another round of sobs.

Lexie pulled the girl close and just let her cry on her shoulder. She allowed herself a quick glance at Mark. His eyes were closed and he appeared to be dozing.

"God I'm sorry." Lexie looked over at the girl who had managed to stem the uncontrollable stream of tears and was now attempting to clean herself up. "God I'm so embarrassed. I shouldn't have unloaded on you like that, I don't even know you." The girl looked ashamed. "I'm just so scared."

"No, you needed that. I'm happy to help." Lexie rubbed her shoulder. "You could burn down Lexington if they made matches from fear, especially on this bus."

The girl just nodded. Lexie stroked her hair. "I just realized I don't even know your name."

"Evangeline, but everyone just calls me Evie." The girl swallowed.

"My name's Alexandria but everyone just calls me Lexie. Weird huh?" Lexie smiled slightly and, for the first time since she got on the bus, Evie did too.

"So uh, who's the guy?" Evie asked.

"What guy?"

"The guy sitting across from us who's been looking at you ever since you guys got on and when you looked back at him pretended he was asleep." Evie motioned to Mark. "Do you know the guy or are we gonna have to make a break for it?"

Lexie chuckled softly to herself, that wasn't a half bad suggestion. "That's Mark, my husband."

"So why aren't you sitting with him?"

Lexie sighed. "It's complicated. We got into a fight, a big fight. We both said things we shouldn't have and now we're paying for it."

"Mmm, take it from me," Evie told her. "Don't leave anything unsaid. You could end up like me, single, alone, and pregnant on a bus going to some uncertain refuge."

She sighed and turned back to the window. Lexie cut a glance to Mark. So many things were unsaid between them, things that badly needed to be said.

* * *

It was late, shortly before midnight, and Mark was still wide awake. What was he going to do? He had screwed up, royally screwed up. He had royally screwed up before, witness Addison, and Sloane, and how he dealt with Sofia, that whole incident with Amelia, it was a long list. But this one probably took the cake.

He looked over at her, fitfully dozing against the young girl next to her. It didn't surprise him that she managed to connect with a stranger, she always had a special way with people. It was a trait he'd always envied. He knew that he had gone about it the complete wrong way, but he wasn't sorry about what he'd had to say. Except for that last part, _that _he would always regret.

"Matches." He muttered to himself as he watched the two sleeping girls.

He was scared dammit, he was absolutely terrified for her. He wanted her to be better so badly that just thinking that she was hurting was unbearable. Was he a bad person for wanting to interrupt her journey because he wanted to protect her from getting hurt again?

Mark was snapped out of his thoughts by a loud cry coming from the girl followed by a gushing sound.

"Lexie! Oh god, Lexie! I think my water just broke!"

* * *

20 miles behind the first bus, on a second Greyhound bus stopping in Lexington, a young man nervously bounced his knee, willing the bus to go faster. Like Mark, he knew he had made a massive mistake. And, like Mark, he would do absolutely anything to fix it.

* * *

**So did you find it? If you didn't, that's ok. Please review anyway!**


	18. Chapter 18

**Hey there everybody. Sorry about the length of time between updates, I just got side tracked by different stories. That being said, if any NCIS LA people are reading this, thank you so much for all your incredible feedback to my first story. Seriously, that thing went up like an atomic bomb! Anyway, back to this story. Just to clarify, I'm kind of on Mark's side with this argument. As per his usual MO he went about it all wrong, but his intentions are good. He just doesn't want to see the love of his life get hurt again. Oh well, what's bad for the relationship makes for excellent plotlines.**

* * *

Evie's screams echoed through the bus as she sat in the aisle.

"What the hell is going on back there?" The bus driver yelled back.

"We've got a young girl back here going into labor. We need a hospital and we need it now!" Mark shouted up to the man. He grabbed onto the seat as the bus driver took the words to heart and placed a lead foot on the gas pedal.

"Lexie? Oh god Lexie it hurts!" Evie cried as another contraction hit her.

"It's gonna be ok Evie, everything is going to be ok." Lexie tried to stay calm as she knelt beside her but one look in her eyes was enough for Mark to know she was defiantly scared.

"How far out are we from the nearest hospital?" Mark barked.

"20 minutes, give or take." Was the reply from the front of the bus. Mark swore under his breath.

"When was the last time you deliver a baby Lex?" He looked down at her.

"Gynie rotation, maybe. Why?"

"Worst case scenario is we don't make it to the hospital in time." Mark knelt down beside the two girls. "Everything is going to be alright Evie, just breath." He did his best to comfort her.

The sound of a siren and the sight of flashing red and blue lights filled the dark interior of the bus. "Seriously?" Lexie thought.

Against the protests of the passengers, the bus slowed to a stop along the side of the road and a Kentucky State Patrol car pulled up behind it. As another contraction hit, a man straight out of a 1970's cop show came moseying up alongside and tapped on the doors.

"Evenin'. What's all the rush?" The mustachioed fifty something man drawled as the bus driver opened the doors for him. Over his shoulder Mark could see the man was definitely wearing sunglasses in the middle of the night. Who does that?

"Look man, we gotta get to a hospital. We got a girl back here about to give birth in the backseat!" The bus driver motioned frantically to the group of three huddled on the floor. Right on cue Evie let out a bloodcurdling scream as another contraction hit.

"Jesus H Christ!" The officer cried and started speaking into the radio on his shoulder. "Loretta we got a woman giving birth just past mile marker, get an ambulance out here now!"

"Mark the baby's crowning!" Lexie cried. Mark swore under his breath and moved to take Evie's hand.

"Evie? Evie listen to me." He tried to calm the girl, her face drenched in sweat despite the frigid temperate in the bus. "You're going to have to push ok?"

Evie's eyes went wide and she shook her head. "No, no I can't do it."

"Evie look at me." He told her, getting her to look right into his eyes. "You can do this Evie. Just squeeze my hand and listen to Lexie, ok?"

She nodded before her face contorted in pain and Marks eyes almost popped from his head as she gripped his hand. This girl was stronger than she looked! One by one the rest of the passengers had found their way to the back of the bus, each of them wanting to help but not really knowing what else to do but watch.

"On the count of three Evie, I need you to push. Got it?" Lexie instructed the girl. "Ready? One, two, three!" With a half scream, half grunt, Evie pushed as hard as she could.

"Ok stop." Lexie held up her hand. "You're doing great Evie." She gently told her. From the semicircle of strangers, similar words of encouragement were uttered. "Ok, one, two, three!"

Again Evie pushed with all her might, gripping Marks hand like a bear trap.

"Great, stop. You're almost there Evie, I'm gonna need one more big push."

"I can't do it! I can't! I can't!" Evie cried, tears of pain streaming down her face.

"You've got this Evie, one more time. One, two, three!"

With the last of her strength, Evie gave one last monumental shove before collapsing back onto Marks lap. Throughout the bus, a cry of a different kind echoed.

"It's a girl." Lexie gushed over the new little life in her arms. "Congratulations Evie, it's a girl."

Evie emitted a sound that was something between a cry and a laugh as she stretched out her arms towards her little girl. Lexie swaddled the new born in a sweater that a passenger handed her while another handed her a metal nail file to cut the umbilical cord with. It was a little crude, but it would do.

"Hi baby, hi my beautiful baby girl." Evie smiled through her tears as her arms encircled her daughter for the first time.

Another set of red and blue lights filled the bus and the wail of an ambulance siren mixed with the baby's cries. There were cries of 'thank god' and 'about time' as EMT's appeared to whisk away Evie and her new born daughter. As Mark and Lexie followed them off the bus and towards the ambulance, another Greyhound bus pulled up to the scene.

"What's the trouble?" The driver of the second bus asked as he exited to join the fray.

"Someone just gave birth in the back of our bus." One of the passengers yelled out the window.

As Mark was preparing to get into the ambulance with Lexie and Evie, a young man came racing off the second bus.

"Evie? Evie!" He cried as he ran towards the ambulance. He flung himself at the doors, only to be caught and held back by Mark. He called her name again.

From inside the ambulance, Evie lifted her head just slightly at the voice. "James?" She asked weakly to no one in particular. It had to be some sort of exhaustion hallucination from the stress and worry over the last few days. After all, why else would she think she heard the voice of the boy who broke her heart and left her all alone?

"Hey buddy, we gotta get moving. In or out?" A paramedic called to Mark.

Mark looked at the kid a second before looking back at Lexie's questioning look.

"You go ahead, I'll catch a ride with the sherif." He finally decided. Almost before the words left his mouth the doors were slammed shut and the ambulance was heading off towards the hospital. Mark back to face the young man. "You want to explain?"

"You've gotta let me see her man. She's my...we're..." The kid had trouble finding the right words. "That's my kid." He finally said.

He certainly didn't have to explain the situation to Mark, he'd been there before. That horrible time when the person you love is in trouble and you're no longer in the position to properly help them. Without a word, Mark nodded and led the boy over to the waiting squad car.

* * *

He stood in the doorway of her hospital room, nervously shuffling from one foot to the other, watching silently as she rocked their baby girl. He cleared his throat slightly, causing her to look up. Their eyes met.

"Is that her?" He felt stupid for asking, of course it was her. He expected a biting comment for that one, god knows he deserved it. But she just nodded. He smiled. "What's her name?"

"Claire Alexandria Prescott-DuMauriée." She pronounced each name slowly, like she was saying a prayer. "Claire Alexandria Prescott-DuMauriée." He repeated to himself. It was the most beautiful name he'd ever heard. "Can I hold her?" He asked uncertainly.

She bit her lip and motioned him over to the bed. Very slowly she handed her over to him. "Hi sunshine." He cooed softly. "Hi little girl." She yawned and opened her eyes at him. He melted when he saw they were the same gold flecked chocolate brown eyes of her mother. His heart broke a little when he handed her back to Evie but watching the two of them together, noting the way Evie held her and the happy baby sounds that came from Claire, made his heart swell with love. How could he have been so stupid to let this walk out of his life? He cleared his throat, making her look at him.

He got down on one knee. "Evangeline DuMauriée, will you marry me?"

Her mouth hung open slightly and she gripped the baby just a little bit tighter. "James…" She began.

"Marry me Evie, marry me and we can start a new life. A new life with our beautiful baby girl." He pushed.

"James you can't, we can't. You don't have to propose just because of Claire." She stammered.

"It's not just because of Claire, Evie. I love you, I'm so sorry I didn't let you know just how much I love you sooner."

"Then why James?" She accused, tears pooling in her eyes. "If you love me so much why did you run? Why didn't you defend me when your parents ran me out of town? Why didn't you save me?" The tears flowed freely now.

"I know I made a massive mistake and I realized that the moment you stepped on that bus. Why do you think I jumped on the next bus out to follow you? I was stupid and I was scared and, you know maybe I still am." He admitted. "But when I saw you being taken away in an ambulance back there all I could do was pray to god that you were ok so I could make it right." He gently wiped the tears off her face, careful not to wake the sleeping infant in her arms. "Let me make this right Evie. Marry Me."

He stroked her cheek and looked down at their daughter. "Plus, if we're married, that means I can't run. I can't just runaway when things get tough. Being married means I have to stay."

She struggled not to start crying all over again as she looked at him and then down to the little life in her arms. Her daughter, their daughter, they created her and no matter the circumstances of how or why she had happened, she was pure. She was good.

"Ok." She whispered before looking back at him with tears in her eyes. "Ok, James. I'll marry you."

His face broke out in a huge smile and leaned close to her. "I love you Evie, and if I have to spend the rest of my life making it up to you I will. No one's running Evie, it's gonna be just you and me against the world." He kissed her, something that he hadn't done in over 7 months. It felt good, it felt natural, like something you do every day. "I promise I won't let you down again."

* * *

Mark watched the exchange from the hospital room's window. How the hell was it possible for two 17 year olds to have a better grip on the concept of not running then him and Lexie?

He walked back into the waiting room to find his wife reading one of the cheap, month old waiting room magazines. She looked up as he sat down beside her.

"How're they?" She asked, putting down the magazine.

"Good, they're good. Evie's good, Claire's good, they're good." He nodded.

"Good." She said awkwardly. Mark sat there, gathering up the courage to speak. He tried to start but didn't really know what he was supposed to say. Finally he settled for laying a hand on her leg.

"You are my wife." Mark said softly. "You are my wife and I am your husband. That means that I'm not running, no matter what I say, no matter what you say. I'm. Not. Running."

Lexie nodded slowly before putting her hand over his. "I'm not running ether."

* * *

**Well now that was a long one! Certainly the longest one to date at over 2000 words. I do have some ideas in mind for future chapters but I don't know exactly when I'll get to updating, hopefully soon if I don't get distracted (Yeah right) but I'll do my best. Reviews are little tiny nuggets of golden inspirational goodness dipped in chocolate!**


	19. Chapter 19

**Is this how we're destined to meet? Once a week at best when the creative muses begrudgingly sing a few notes? Oh well, things happen. So I have a challenge for you, all of Lexie's answers have been blacked out. The first person to give me all 4 correct answers will receive a special Grey's story, written by me, with a prompt of their choosing. Sound good? I hope so, hopefully I get a bite! (Oh, and no cheating by using the internet to Google or Bing (and if so, _really?_) the answers. Be honest!) FYI, we skipped Indiana, Michigan, Ohio, and Pennsylvania.**

* * *

"What's a twelve letter word for rain fowl?" Mark tapped his pen against his chin, studying the New York Times crossword intently as Lexie lay down next to him on the white, warm sheets of the hotel bed.

It had been several weeks since they left Kentucky. After making absolutely certain that Evie, Claire, and James were taken care of with Evie's aunt, they had just enough time left in the week to catch the last day of horse racing at Churchill Downs. Mark had agreed to ride the bus for as far as Philadelphia before he finally convinced Lexie that they needed a new car, citing they could see more of the country if they travels on their own. To that end, they drove out of Ohio in a shiny black Porsche Boxter convertible. It was that car that was now sitting in the underground garage of the Waldorf Astoria hotel in New York City and that was were Lexie had made Mark promise it would stay until they left in a little over a week. This was New York, which meant they would get around the New York way.

Lexie pondered over the crossword question for a moment.

"************." She concluded.

Mark wrote in her answer. "Lodging portmanteau, five letters?"

"*****." She answered quickly.

Mark nodded before he grinned at the next one. "Ok Grey, let's see if you learned anything from Ortho. Five letters, an R in the third spot, wrist bone."

Lexie's brow scrunched for a moment before her face lit up. "*****!" She cried out.

"Callie would be proud!" Mark laughed as he filled another space on the crossword.

"Damn straight." She nodded. "Gimmie another one." She said eagerly as Mark scanned the list of clues.

"Here's an interesting one. Ten letters, an O in blank 2, and a T in blank 6, no wait, blank 7. The hint is, like each word from this clue."

"Like each word from this clue?" Lexie asked. Mark nodded. Lexie fell silent, he could practically see the gears turning in her head.

"Like each word from this clue." She repeated softly. Gradually the answer dawned on her.

"**********." She said smugly.

"Amazing." Mark laughed and shook his head. "You, Lexie Caroline Grey Sloan are absolutely amazing." He leaned in to kiss her.

She giggled and returned the kiss. "Yeah well, the photographic memory helps."

Mark grinned. "Like I said, amazing."

Lexie laughed and rolled off the bed. "What are we doing today Mr. Sloan?" She asked as she sashayed over to the floor length mirror.

"Well Mrs. Sloan." Mark followed her over and wrapped his arm around her waist, nibbling ever so slightly on her ear. "We've got tickets to go see Wicked tonight, we've been to the Empire State Building, Chrysler Building, and Rockefeller Plaza, and Mrs. Shepard is having us over for dinner tomorrow. I guess that just leaves ether the Statue of Liberty or Ellis Island. Or, you know, I could show you around some of my old stomping grounds."

"Oooh, now that sounds like fun." She turned around so she was facing him, his arms still fastened around her waist and her hands on his chest. "Let me jump in the shower and we can go do that."

"You want me to join you. It'd be faster." He whispered huskily in her ear.

"No it wouldn't and you know it." She laughed as she pulled free from his warm embrace and headed towards the bathroom. Stopping in the doorway, she turned back to face him. "Well, aren't you coming?" She feigned annoyance.

With a feral grin, Mark quickly hurried to join her.

* * *

Lexie loved New York, she loved almost everything about it. Going to school at Harvard meant that on weekends, her and her girlfriends would frequently hop a train into the city, coming back just before class on Monday morning. One of the things that she really loved about it though was Central Park

"God New York is incredible! I can't imagine how you managed to leave." She sighed as the two of them walked through the leafy green swatch of land in the middle of Manhattan. The sky was brilliantly blue and the temperature was comfortably warm making for the perfect weather to spend a leisurely Sunday afternoon in the park.

Mark chuckled. "It defiantly wasn't easy, I held on to my apartment for two or three years after I left. But there were a lot of bad memories that made it easier to leave." He set his mouth in a tight line.

"But there were also some good memories too." She reminded him.

He nodded. "This is true, there were a lot of good memories here." He turned his head to look at her. "But I'm glad I left."

"Why's that?" She inquired.

"Because if I never left, I'd never have met you. And I can't imagine my life without you."

"So cheesy." She rolled her eyes but he noticed the blush forming on her ivory cheeks.

"You love it."

"I do." She nodded and kissed him. They walked along the path, hand in hand, before stopping in front of the parks famous carousel. Lexie's eyes lit up and she looked excitedly at Mark. Without a word, Mark just smiled and moved to purchase tickets for the two of them.

* * *

He couldn't help but laugh as he watched her childlike exuberance as the carousel spun round and round. He would never get tired of watching her happy like this. To him it was more beautiful than all the greatest treasures in the world combined, and twice as valuable. He was still scared as hell for her, he probably always would be. It would be wonderful to find her a place where pain and suffering didn't exist, but he knew that if he did that she wouldn't be Lexie, and Lexie was what he wanted, no, needed. He needed her, and she needed this, so he needed this too.

With a little pang of longing he thought back to the early days of their relationship. How simple it had all seemed then, how fresh, how untouched by the world. Back when their biggest worry was Derek finding out about them seeing each other. He wouldn't trade his life now for all the money, or titles, or Harper Avery's in the world, but that didn't mean he couldn't wish that things could have been easier.

He smiled as her peals of laughter brought him out of his head. He wondered if it was possible to take the carousel back to Seattle with them.

* * *

**I'm debating implementing an 'I wont update unless I receive X reviews' policy, because I've seen some other writers do this and it seems to work for them. And besides, we writers are really just vapid narcissists looking for validation aren't we? So I will say let's get to 70 reviews (we're on 62), can we do that? _Darley1101_ is the prime example of a wonderful reviewer y'all, just saying.**


	20. Chapter 20

**We made it to 72 reviews, you guys rock! Give a big thank you to _Greys4life _for this chapter idea (and by extension, the next chapter). Sadly no one got the answers to Lexie's crossword, maybe I made them too hard? The answers were as follows.**

**12 Letters - Rain Fowl - _Umbrellabird_**

**5 Letters - Lodging Portmanteau - _Motel_**

**5 Letters - Wrist Bone - _Carpi_**

**10 Letters - Like Each Word From This Clue - _Four Letter_**

* * *

When Lexie thought about it, she could really remember meeting Carolyn Shepherd only twice. First was back when she and Mark were still secretly dating and Mrs Shepherd had come to meet Meredith and she had practically interrogated her in the middle of the hallway. Then she had a very brief recollection of exchanging a greeting with her in Seattle after Derek was shot. Of course her mind had been elsewhere at the time so she wasn't completely sure about that last one but it seemed logical that she would have been there.

But the fact remained that she didn't know much about her half-sister's, but also sort of hers, mother-in-law and she most definitely didn't know what to expect from tonight. She fiddled with the hem of her dress as Mark drove them through New York traffic.

"Will you stop that Lex?" He admonished, laying a hand on top of hers. "It's just dinner, not a Senate Hearing."

"That's easy for you to say, you're Mark Sloan, her second son. You've grown up with her. You're already perfect in her eyes, how am I supposed to get her to like me? Oh god what if she doesn't like me? What if she hates me? What if I'm just slutty intern the sequel?"

"Lexie, take a deep breath." He interrupted her ranting. "First off, you're not a slutty intern. You are a strong, brilliant, beautiful surgeon who just happens to be the love of my life and who I am lucky enough to call my wife. And secondly, Mrs Shepherd knows you, she likes you, and this isn't an inquisition so take a deep breath."

"You're right." Lexie breathed. "You're right, it's just a dinner. Nothing to be scared of, it's all just fine."

"Right." He grinned and kissed her hand. "Now just sit back and try to relax."

Lexie smiled and leaned back in her seat. They rode in comfortable silence before Lexie realized they were crossing the river.

"Mark, why are we going out of the city? I thought you said Mrs Shepherd lived on 16th Street." She turned to him.

"She does." Mark nodded. "But Nancy's house is in New Haven."

Lexie gave him a questioning look before realization mixed with horror broke across her face. "Mark no! No! Over my freaking dead body no!"

"Lexie." He began.

"You said dinner with Mrs Shepherd, not dinner with Mrs Shepherd and Co.!" She moaned.

"I figured it would be rude to just see mom and not any of the girls." He tried to rationalize.

"Girls? As in plural? As in not just Nancy?" She cried. "How many people are we talking here Mark?"

"Nancy, mom, Lizzie, and Kathleen." He paused. "And their respective husbands and children."

Lexie felt the blood drain from her face. She put her head in her hands.

"If it helps, Amelia's not going to be there." He offered weakly as he rubbed her back.

"Right now if I thought I could get away with killing you I so would." She snapped at him.

* * *

For the remainder of the 2 hour drive, Lexie was given a crash course in all things Shepherd family.

She learned not to mention Mr Shepherd, or question why Mrs Shepherd wore a man's watch. The eldest Nancy was married to Bill and had Bill Jr, Regain, Quentin, Harriet, and Fiona, middle daughter Kathleen was married to Patrick and had Samuel, Amanda, Dianne, Noel, Gregory, Hank, and Lillian, and second youngest Liz was married to Zach and had Cameron and Olivia. Nancy's children all went to the same super elite private school while Kathleen's children went to their biggest rivals and Liz sent her kids to public school. Bill owned a software firm and had had an affair three years back that Nancy swore she had put behind her even though she still checked his phone records, Patrick was a professor of criminal justice at Princeton and was a practicing attorney, and Zach was a well-respected child therapist from a wealthy family. All the boys played lacrosse except for Cameron and Quentin who played tennis and all the girls took ether horseback riding or dance and played, between them, seven different instruments. Nancy was allergic to shellfish, while Liz loved shellfish of all kinds. Liz had a fear of heights and Kathleen enjoyed sailing while Nancy preferred not to leave her practice for more than a few hours at a time. Kathleen was a psychiatrist, Liz was an orthopedic surgeon, and Nancy was one of the foremost OBGYN's on the eastern seaboard and she wouldn't let you forget it. Each of them considered themselves to be the most level headed of the group while Mrs Shepherd swore they were all crazy.

By the time they turned off the highway, Lexie felt like her head was going to explode. How the hell was she supposed to survive tonight?

"Wait, which was the one that gave Derek the nerve?" Lexie rubbed her temples, she could already feel the migraine forming.

"Lizzie." Mark clarified. "But they took them from her legs so I don't think you'll be able to tell. She'll probably be wearing pants of some kind though."

"Ok, then which one is McBitchy?"

"Who?"

"McBitchy, you know, the one the Meredith met when Addison was still in the picture?" She looked at Mark who looked back at her with a confused expression on his face. "Never mind, I'll call Mer."

She quickly dialed the number and waited for her sister to pick up.

"Hey Mer, quick question for you, which one of Derek's sisters was McBitchy?" She asked at the click.

"Why do you want to know?"

"Because Mark may or may not have tricked me into a dinner with the entire Shepherd clan and I need to know who I'm up against." Lexie told her.

"I did not trick you into this. I told you we were having dinner with the Shepherds." Mark protested.

"Uh, no. You said we were having dinner with Mrs Shepherd. You did not say we were having dinner with Mrs Shepherd and the three sisters, the three husbands, and the fourteen grandchildren!" She scolded while she herd Meredith laugh merrily on the other end.

"Good luck with that, I don't envy you one bit." Meredith chuckled. "To answer your question, Nancy is McBitchy."

"Good to know." Lexie let out a small sigh. "Do any of them know you're pregnant yet?"

"Liz knows and Mrs Shepherd knows, but I'm pretty sure they've both been sworn to secrecy."

"Oh great, thanks Mer." Lexie chirped.

"Haha, good luck." Meredith chuckled as she hung up.

* * *

"Who was that?" Derek asked as he came out on the deck, wine glasses in hand.

"Lexie." Meredith smiled as she took one of the glasses from her husband.

"Oh, did you tell her about what we decided in regards to the hospital?" He asked.

"No, I was going to but then I decided to do it tomorrow. It seems that Mark is taking her to dinner with your mom and sisters and I figured that she had enough on her mind right now." She chuckled as she sipped her wine.

"Oh poor girl." Derek smirked. "I don't envy her."

* * *

Lexie felt her stomach begin to knot as Mark pulled up outside the large colonial house. She could already see they were the last to arrive.

Mark shut off the car and turned to her. "You ready?"

"Is it too late to go back to the hotel?" She closed her eyes and took a steadying breath.

"Afraid so, come on." He smiled gently. He got out and walked around to her door. As he opened her door, he extended his hand to her. She grasped his hand and allowed him to slowly lead her to the door. With one final pleading glance, she watched as he reached out and rang the doorbell.

Here goes nothing.

* * *

**Major props to anyone who actually read all of the Shepherd info. the idea was to overload you on information, kind of like Mark did to Lexie. I like Liz, maybe because she seems the nicest of the Shepherd sisters we've met (although I can't speak for Kathleen because we've not met her yet). The next chapter will deal with the dinner it self and all the fun that goes along with it. We made it to our last goal, now lets see if we can make it to 80 reviews, sound doable?**


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